eatbees blog

Feminist author Naomi Wolf has written an article for the British newspaper The Guardian that lays out a 10-step program for turning a free society into a dictatorship, and shows how President Bush has led the United States a good distance down that road.

Syrian blogger Golaniya, formerly known as Sham in Ashrafiyeh, has nominated me for a Thinking Blogger award, which is an internet “meme” or thought virus that is designed to spread exponentially. Now it’s my turn to choose five blogs that make me think, and introduce them to you, my readers.

To me, this young man isn’t real but a hallucination of President Bush. He’s an embodiment of the poor nations’ vengenance against fat-cat imperialism. Each night, Bush has nightmares where this young man comes to him with a huge pair of scissors to cut his balls off.

I think I want an Arab renaissance as much as you. For too long, Arabs have been absent from the world stage, except in caricature form as oil-rich princes or religious fanatics. As a result, the world is out of balance. Brazilians, Indians and Chinese all have their place, but Arabs are pushed aside. I blame this on the lack of Arab democracy.

Two days ago, a car bomb exploded in a crowded Baghdad market, killing 200 people. Unlike the 32 victims of Cho Seung-Hui, we will never see their photos or hear their life stories. According to witnesses, “The street was transformed into a swimming pool of blood.”

Nihilistic mass murderers no longer surprise me in America, because they are a cultural phenomenon that surfaces every now and then. No one can deny we have a culture of violence, with blood on our hands from the Pilgrims to Fallujah.

Rap isn’t my favorite genre of music, but yesterday I discovered the Moroccan rapper Bigg, also known as “Al Khasser” (“Rude Boy”) for his blunt lyrical style. He sings in pure derija (Moroccan dialect or slang) in order to reach a popular audience, tell things as they are, and preserve a valuable cultural heritage.

A kitten chases illusions on a laptop screen.

“If we’re going to stimulate people’s consciousness, it isn’t enough for people to talk with each other. People need to understand the roots of their problems. We mustn’t be like the Americans, who launched a war on terrorism without understanding their real enemy! Engaging people in a discussion on the future of Morocco might not be wise unless they first understand the source of their crisis.”

“And your Lord inspired the bee to make dwellings in the mountains, in trees and in the bowers made by men; then eat from all the fruits, and travel the broad paths of their Lord. From their bellies comes a drink of diverse colors, in which is healing for men. Surely in this is a sign for those who consider.”