I suppose I’m the one being welcomed, and not the other way round. I’m honoured to have been given space on this site to express a few views, however militant or contrarian they may seem to the “average American” (I’m still waiting to meet the average American; I’ll bet he’s extroardinary), or even to “the average American Muslim” (whom I have met).
This is not a new blog, in fact, but a continuation of a less new one found at www.sleepercellayearehcue.blogspot.com. That one was launched in June 2007 and has drawn a tiny readership from about 30 countries. That isn’t false modesty: one person each in 30 countries is a tiny readership.
Enough of the intros, though. I’m here, I’m blogging, I welcome your input, put-downs, put-offs, putrid assessments. As the sidebars and other components of the website progress, I’ll give some short biographical info about myself, revealing that I am an American, if average, and that I am interested in “Mozzlim issues” – and perhaps a little over-enamoured of “air-quotes in writing”. Most other biographical data will be kept strictly confidential, or may even change as is suitable.
Obama wins. I should probably read what all the other talkislam.info’ers are saying about this, because my initial reactions may be little more than a rehashing of yours, and yours in turn, may be little more than a rehashing of the popular press. Obama wins, he is Our Great Leader, this is a Turning Point in History, each of us who voted for him (full disclosure: I did not) is personally responsible for his Great Victory and should now engage not only in Obamania panegyrics but also a frenzy of personal self-congratulation. Thanks to us (and remember, I’m not one of you), the world is Saved.
Rahm Emanuel? I won’t make a fuss of his middle name – it is Israel – because no right-thinking person made a fuss of Obama’s. I will, however, point out that he is a former Israeli citizen, not unlike Martin Indyk, Clinton’s senior director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council*. He is also one of the most hawkish members of government, Republican or Democrat. Perhaps he gets it from his father, a former Irgun terrorist. Yup, that Irgun, the pre-Israeli Zionist thugs who blew up the King David Hotel and assassinated the British foreign minister, Lord Moyne**. As Leah Rabin, wife of the late Yitzhak Rabin once said, “We were terrorists until we got what we wanted.”
But I’m getting ahead of myself, and footnoting irresponsibly. All this information has probably been batted around talkislam.info for some two days now, which is longer than a lifetime in the blogsphere.
Emanuel’s ancestry is not at issue here, either – except as a fun historical footnote to our current tragic times – but his hawkish, hysterical support of invading Iraq illegally in 2003 is. It’s almost as if in choosing Emanuel Obama is deliberately thumbing his nose at those who accused him of being a peacenik and a liberal (and a Mozzlim). “I’ll show you what a pragmatic asshole I can be.”
I’m just stretching my legs out in this first post; this isn’t necessarily who I am. Give it time. (“Yeah, well give Obama some time, asshole. Don’t be so quick to judge!” Point taken.) I’m not this angry. This was supposed to be a post expressing guilt at being unable to share in all the Obama cheer, about being the quiet guy in the corner who doesn’t want to be the party pooper but is unsure about how best to fake it and smile for his friends. It turned out like this.
*Is this right? Am I confusing Martin Indyk with Dennis Ross? Indyk only became a U.S. citizen in 1993. He was born an Australian. Was he also a dual Israeli citizen, or was that Ross? Or both? Perhaps I shouldn’t play so fast and loose with details in this first post. I’m losing your confidence.
** Lehi. Lehi, also known as the Stern Gang, is the Zionist terrorist outfit that murdered Lord Moyne, not Irgun. My mistake. Irgun was headed by Yitzhak Rabin, who later became PM of Israel. One of the Stern Gang’s leaders was Yitzhak Shamir, who also later became PM of Israel. I confess, it becomes difficult at times to keep track of all the Zionist terrorists who assassinated foreign dignitaries (Count Bernadotte, anyone?) and later became distinguished prime ministers of Israel; it doesn’t help matters that two of these terrorists are named Yitzhak.