Don't forget. There's still a war in Iraq.

Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend. Just so you don't forget, this is a reminder that there is still a war going on in Iraq.

The guys at Today in Iraq have done a comprehensive roundup of today's war news. Go check it out. You may need to hit F-11 twice to get it to load fully. Some kind of browser thing.

Don't miss the part about the Kurds threatening secession. That should be interesting. I'm having a hard time figuring out how one country can be cobbled together from as many factions as there seem to be in Iraq, especially with each one having its own military. I don't think these guys think of themselves as anything like the US National Guard.

Meantime, the Kurds are already anticipating what language to use in schools to instruct the non-Kurdish children they will be educating.

The migration of huge numbers of Arab families into Kurdistan has grave impacts on Kurdistan, including demographic changes, i.e. Arabisation of Kurdistan in a different way. After all, the Arabisation of Kirkuk started with migration of Arab families and tribes to work in irrigation projects.

Do you think children of these Arab families should be educated in the Kurdish language or in Arabic? When Kurds migrate to the Arab parts of Iraq, they are not allowed to study in Kurdish and there are no Kurdish schools available.

What do you think? Have your say now!

Sounds like something in the US, don't you think? Look at the comments.
In ENGLISH already!

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Toward the end of this ambitious post we find James Wolcott getting almost punchy. He makes some people tremble with frustration at the sound of his name. No wonder.

September 11th is a day of mournful remembrance, our annual hurdle of traumatic flashbacks and funeral orations. A somber day, not a saber-rattling one. Yet for the last week or so, the fearmongers and the blog militia have taken the safety catches off their loaded mouths. We've had Rumsfeld rolling the charge of appeasement like a hand grenade down the Democratic aisle.

Bush unveiling that Frankenstein hybrid meant to scare credulous villagers, "Islamic fascism."

Charles Krauthammer launching the latest in his line of wind-up goosestepping Hitler dolls.

The thumb-twiddlers at NRO's Corner trying to come up with a catchy new name for our enemies.

The brain stormers at the Gates of Vienna trying to come up with a punchy new slogan for the War on Terror. And trying. And trying. Among the bubblings from the tar pit, we get: "If you don't have the brains to know Islam is a threat, you won't miss your head when it's gone." "Terrorism is cancer -- it's time to get radioactive!" "KILL A JIHADI FOR MOMMIE."

The slovenly Debbie Schlussel (see here) and a bodywaxed dummy named David Warren (here) heaping scorn on the Fox News captives, inspiring this Frank Frazetta-ish beefcake graphic via TBogg.

Put this hyperbole and head-scratching together and you get an apocalyptic warning cry represented best by this showcased post at Pajamas Media from The Intellectual Activist bearing the dire title, "Five Minutes to Midnight: The War Is Coming, No Matter How Hard We Try to Evade It."

Like I said -- hope you had a good holiday. I did all I could to have a good time, but in the end the day turned sad. The news of Steve Irwin's untimely death didn't help.

I feel somewhat helpless that so many voices are calling for more war and less peace. After Gingrich made his well-heard pronouncement three weeks ago, followed by sabre-rattling in Israel that could be heard all the way from Tel Aviv to North America, I posted my misgivings. I want so very much to be wrong about this.