We're back, and taking you on a wild ride into the heart of Salon's samizdat community. Not everyone pulled through this week, unfortunately, as Federal law enforcement professionals began a crackdown on seditionist Weblogs under the terms of the USA Patriot Act.

No, this isn't an anti-war protestor, it's a Salonblogger being hauled away from his keyboard after a 24-hour surfing jag that pointed questions at the administration better left unasked. San Francisco residents watching the arrest unanimously approved:

Owen Rowley was so furious he could barely spit, "They are professional writers, and forcing your opinion on people is not democratic," he sputtered, "These people have nothing better to do."

Keeping readers glued to their screens does have its drawbacks, and the backlash wasn't totally unexpected. But blogger Famous Wayne, on the other hand, was unapologetic, hammering together HTML and posting just minutes in advance of mainstream journalists:

"It's show time, and I'm creating masterpieces," Wayne beamed.

Sharp Angles

Veteran news junkie Kriselda at Different Strings knows that sometimes the pictures say it all. She has the best selection of "shock and awe" photos I've seen anywhere.

The iconoclastic surfmeister Jan at Secular Blasphemy makes a solid observation: "Journalists seem to ask no hard questions, they just propagate jaw-dropping images as pure entertainment." And we agree. Then Jan goes ahead and asks the hard questions—entertainingly.

We liked this observation by Dave at No Code: "And is there anyone in government more condescendingly arrogant and abrasive than press secretary Ari Fliescher? He really needs to be slapped on a regular basis. No Dave, there isn't. And yes, he should be.

Christopher at The Barbaric Yawp ran a letter from Dr. Robert Muller, the "father of global education," who talks about the international effort of "waging peace." After reading his words, I felt a lot better. If you're feeling a sense of disquiet about things, give it a read.

Some bloggers had interesting reactions to the week's events. For instance, Neva Feva linked to a story about the "international" that got run down by a bulldozer in the Gaza strip last week. She says, "If you're morbid like me, you won't be able to stop yourself from peeking at the before and after photos..." Turns out we're morbid like you.

I liked the way Rayne at Rayne Today described the bombardment of Baghdad: "My skin is crawling." Fortunately, she didn't have to watch too much TV, since she had to take her kids on a field trip (which she says was like "herding cats," and we sympathize).

The ever-sharp Rob at Emphasis Added is a must-read, and this week he's in top-notch form as you can see from this lead-in:

This morning my fellow Americans and I woke up, for the first time in our country's history, as citizens of an aggressor nation. As a result, in the days and weeks ahead, a fairly large number of innocent Iraqis, with whom even our President admits we have no quarrel, will not wake up at all.

After watching the videos I have to wonder if a large percentage of the protestors have more of a problem with Bush than the war itself...I have come to the conclusion that a lot of it (not all) is just whining and bitching that Bush got elected.

Along similar lines, Dave at How to Save the World demonstrates the manner in which Bush displays clinically psychopathic behaviors and suggests caution in dealing with him:

Confronting psychopaths can be extremely dangerous, since they can rationalize taking any means to their obsessive ends, and they strike out when defied or challenged (ask the French).

On the refusenik side, Kat at She's Actual Size, Nationwide, Believe says "I don't believe I'm a well informed person at all. Actually, I believe all the information I come across is deeply suspect." True, but she also feels that way about the information she possesses about herself. She explains that our view of the world is Rashomon-esque, bracketed by Kurosawan opinion-makers:

Therefore, I can't rely on anything related to me as being anything but partial truth.

So I feel like a reluctant wife today. I can't think about sex when there is so much else, so much more important stuff, to think about instead.

Another dodger, artful as always, is Paul at Playing with my food, and other things, who plans to "smoke some salmon this weekend." He'd appreciate it if you don't ask him "How do you keep them lit?"

Lastly, pure escapism is offered by Giles at Life on Earth, who forwards "Three tips for Life on Earth that have absolutely nothing to do with war." I'll take 'em.

Back on-topic, Mark at Fried Green al-Qaedas has a conversation between Saddam and his stunt double that's pure genius, unlike the stunt double, who worries: "I don't know...I don't think I look all that much like Saddam."

Dick Jones' Patteran Pages has been spot-on all week, and I strongly recommend a look at his "Life according to Hollywood," which includes the observation that, "You're likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home."

And if you have a minute, take a look at the 3bicle, who brings you the "101 Dumbest Moments in Business." They're quite amusing. What's not so funny is that all of these happened in 2002 alone.

With any luck, the above ne'er do wells will avoid the Plasticuffs for another week.

8:32:02 PM       

"He who rides the tiger fears to dismount." - Chinese proverb

This is the scene over Baghdad at the moment, as "Shock and Awe," technically known as Rapid Dominance, begins to set the city aflame. The spectacle is living up to its billing, and we have to wonder about the safety of foreign journalists who are covering the scene live.

Iraqi authorities Friday expelled CNN's four journalists from Baghdad effective immediately, said CNN Chief News Executive Eason Jordan. The CNN team plans to leave for the Jordanian border at the first opportunity, Jordan said.

On the domestic front, nowhere in America is the protest movement more active than in San Francisco, where the local police have been shocked and awed by the scale of the freak power demonstrations that are shutting down the financial district for the second day running.

Because of the fluid nature of protests, no estimates on the number of participants were available, but it was clearly in the thousands—enough to leave police exhausted.

The confusion in Officer Chang's eyes says quite a bit. And some members of the riot squad, fatigued after chasing groups of yippies from block to block, are turning to chemical salvation:

"After 16 hours of fighting communists and anarchists, a Red Bull can help us go another 16 hours," said Sgt. Rene Laprevotte as he bought two cans of the energy drink at a Fifth Street market. "We're here as long as they are."

Drinks at 11:59

An editorial at the LA Times titled For Arabs, a Cruel Echo of History, is definitely worth a look. The sense you get from reading this is that we aren't winning the battle for the hearts and minds of the Islamic world, because "most Arabs see this attack against Iraq as sinister in its intent, illegitimate, unprovoked, unnecessary, counterproductive for the U.S. and destructive for the region."

Most Arab world analysts and citizens believe the U.S. just wants to control Iraq's oil, secure a permanent Mideast foothold from which to dominate and pacify the region, and redraw the region's political map in favor of America and Israel. Steps along the way include securing permanent U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East and directly occupying and retooling a powerful Arab country.

RSS Bleeds

Interesting story at SF Gate on the real war blogs.

In a new experiment in war reporting, some correspondents have taken to filing frequent updates on the Internet—so far, an editor-free zone of personal observations from the front lines.

We'll take his word for it.

Field Guide to Iraq's Henchmen

Good morning, Mr. Phelps. In addition to the Supreme Leader of the Iraqi government, who we are currently looking to capture or terminate with extreme prejudice, there are a few other members of the Iraqi High Command we're targeting:

From left to right:

Commander, central area: Qusay Hussein. He's the younger son of President Saddam and heir apparent. In charge of Baghdad and Tikrit, and responsible for intelligence and security, including the Republican Guard in Baghdad.

Commander, internal security and communication: Uday Hussein. This the Saddam's elder son, the "crazy one." Running the internal security forces and co-ordinating orders from the regions. Highly unstable.

Commander, southern region: General Ali Hassan al-Majid. He's a cousin of Saddam Hussein, and in charge of the region including Basra. Known as "Chemical Ali" for allegedly gassing Kurdish villages in 1988.

Commander, northern region: General Izzat Ibrahim Douri. One of Saddam's most trusted advisers. Wanted for crimes against Kurds in 1988 and for the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Deputy prime minister: Tareq Aziz: Foreign minister during the Gulf War, his longevity in the regime is attributed to his lack of a popular power base. A 67-year-old Christian, he's the official spokesman for the Iraqi government.

This blog will self-destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck, Jim.

And tune in tonight for Your Salonblog Tour of Quality!
2:16:14 PM