Old Fogey's Quotes for Friday/Saturday

On this first Christmas without my Mom, we decided to head to Mexico on the 19th, since none of our family could be with us on Christmas day. What I didn't factor into the plan was having one less week to do all our traditional holiday activities. I just finished putting together a thought-for-the-day calendar for some women I mentor. I had not thought through the process enough to realize that it required collating by hand 3,500 pages. However, now all packages are delivered, cards sent, and pumpkin chiffon pies made--only a few more parties to attend and packing for our week's vacation. All this is to explain the slack blogging. We will have wireless at the resort, but I can't promise to get motivated enough to blog. Here are my meager efforts for today:

"It's become so bad that a woman who drives a car will be slaughtered, and a woman who doesn't put a scarf on her hair will be slaughtered."
Shimirya, an Iraqi woman, who has a doctorate in psychological studies
Women Lose Ground in the New Iraq
[She had been driving for years but was forced to hire a car service to take her to her job at Baghdad University. This is a heartbreaking story of the setbacks to the rights of Iraqi women since civil war has begun. They don't have Saddam, but they do have constant violence, perpetual insecurity, and loss of the ability to do daily things we take for granted. I pray somehow someone will find a way out of this morass King George the Invader has created.]

"The Americans look around in Europe for who is being loud, who is speaking out, and then those people are kidnapped."
Mohamed Mahmoud, chairman of a group called Islamic Group of Austria
Testimony Helps Detail CIA's Post-9/11 Reach
[I keenly remember being horrified by the 'disappeareds' in countries under dictators. Now I must shake my head in disbelief that these actions have become the official policy of my own government. I don't consider it unpatriotic to mourn the slaughter of American ideals by this administration. I believe the true abettors of the terrorists are those fan the fires of anti-Americanism by arrogant disregard for the consequences of their actions.]

"A judge deciding a case shouldn't be worrying how ruling a certain way might affect campaign fundraising, or whether it might invite a blitz of negative TV ads in the next election."
Dorothy Samuels, in NYTimes Select editorial on the rise of special interest abuse of state judicial elections
Judges for Sale
[The judicial system is supposed to be the least partisan branch of government. Although a pure judiciary is probably unattainable, the dangers of a politicized system of justice are enormous. Just look at the 2000 electoral dispute settled along party lines in the nation's highest court. Eight years of incompetence and corruption are adequate reminders of the dangers. Democracy without the restraint of law can become the tyranny of the majority--producing such things as the loss of religious freedom.]

"James Baker ran after W. with a butterfly net for a while, but it is now clear that the inmates are still running the asylum. "
Maureen Dowd in NYTimes Select editorial, referring to King George the Defiant's signals that he won't listen to the Baker report on Iraq
Farewell, Dense Prince
[Even with the Democratic victories, we have two more painful years of watching the destructions of delusion.]