Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

…or missing $25 million? Birdie took a picture of the evidence:

By the way, where’s the media coverage of the UNSCAM scandal?

La Shawn and Sarah both share my view of the Arab world. They put words down better than I on the issue of Bush vs. The-Rest-of-the-World, but I had some thoughts in this regard about why so much is happening in the Arab World as we are about to return sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

Responsibility can be a heavy burden, especially when you’ve never had it before. Many people hunger for it under the false assumption they are being given authority. The two are inseparable. You cannot have one without the other. I’ve seen people take the reins of authority and try to steer a path for their organization, only to flounder when the first problem arises. They begin looking for someone to blame. I saw a company I worked for go under because the man in charge was an individual who could never admit his own failings, and refused to listen to wise counsel. One hundred people were on the street, and a thriving, viable business lost. When you take the authority, responsiblity goes with it.

This is true in the governance of a country. A representative government requires the involvement of the general populace. If you want a voice, there is a responsibility of understanding what is necessary, and making the effort to vote. The latter is easier, but less often done.

The Arab world has existed for three millenia. It has been ruled by various factions and individuals under the blanket authority of Islam for 1400 years. There are many Muslims who are not Arab, but few Arabs who are not Muslim. And it has been very easy for them throughout those 1400 years. They have had no authority. But neither have they had any responsibility. They simply did what they were told to do, and believed what they were told to believe. No thought required. And that served their masters well. Schools are few and far between in the Arab world. Those that exist in great numbers are the madrassas, which teach little except the Quran. What we in the West consider a classical education does not exist for everyone in the Arab world. Few are allowed the opportunity to train their minds.

There have been excellent schools in the past. American University in Lebanon once produced educated graduates. But education–knowledge–leads to questions. And Arab rulers have never tolerated questions. Knowledge is power. Better to keep it in the hands of the few who are best qualified to use it.

The fear is becoming thick in Iraq and the rest of the Arab, and Muslim, world. But it has less to do with the fear of the spread of democratic ideals than with the cold reality that there will be nobody to blame if this experiment fails except the Iraqis, and by extension, all Arabs themselves. It is new, and it means change. And it also means responsibility. Everyone wants authority, but few hunger for the responsibility that goes along with it. And that is doubly true in Iraq.

June 30 is fast approaching. That brass ring they think they want is just about within reach. And they are having second thoughts as they begin to realize what a representative government means. Some will be active participants in the effort to drive America out and intimidate the remaining populace. Others will be intimidated, because that’s what they know best to do. The majority who are frightened by the possibility of taking ownership of their own governance will support the other two groups either actively or passively. I don’t know, and neither does anyone else regardless of polls, what the percentage truly is who want change to come to the Arab world. As things unfold in Iraq, I’m becoming less optimistic. I think there is a majority who want to return to some form of autocratic government.

I’m not sure I blame them. Certainly they don’t want another Saddam Hussein, but life is stable, if simple and lacking in personal pleasures, in the rest of the Arab world. If you take care of a few simple obligations, bow to the proper people, and follow the dictates of the Imams and Ayatollhs, life goes on at a leisurely pace. All you need to do is agree to live in the 13th century with a few 20th century amenities designed and manufactured by others. And be content with stories of the glorious Arab past, when the entire known world trembled at the call to prayers.

Or, you can take charge of things, and accept the responsibilities that go along with that authority, and not look to blame your own failings on American Imperialism and Jewish control over the rest of the world.

Tough call? Not in the Arab world.

I know this has been asked before. What do feminists think of the war in Afghanistan?

Over the past year altogether 600 girls’ schools around the country have been wholly or partly destroyed by terrorists, while none of the boys’ schools have been touched, Sletten says.

Education is key to freedom, whether in Afghanistan, Iraq, or the United States. And I’m not talking about pieces of paper which claim you learned something. I mean education, which goes far beyond simple classroom study.

Having schools open to all in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia, instead of the madrassas which currently offer the only classroom education affordable to people in that region, is the only way things will ever change.

Marines pull back from Fallujah

Well, Saddam’s army has liberated Fallujah from the occupation forces. Maj. Gen. Jassim Mohammed Saleh will be the new dictator of Iraq within ten years–if he can stay alive.

Bob Bevelaqua was on Fox News this morning. I missed it, but I heard about it. As I’ve mentioned before, he is the military analyst I trust most. If he and Mansoor Ijaz agree on any issue, you can bet it is the correct assessment.

Bob is irate that the efforts in Iraq have bogged down due to a unilateral cease fire. He’s not quite at the level of “Kill ’em all and let God sort ’em out,” but he’s getting close. I expected the Marines to surround Fallujah, and pick at the city forcing insurgents to respond. Instead, we’ve surrounded the city and waited, afraid we might hurt civilians. The insurgents are doing the picking at their leisure.

In Najaf, we’re playing the waiting game with Shia insurgents aligned with a punk cleric. We are afraid to act because action might result in a broader fight.

One word is common: afraid.

Now, that is certainly not the correct word to describe what our leadership, both military and civilian, are feeling. But that is irrelevant. It is the word the enemy would use to describe it. When they sense fear, their power grows. We need to put an end to this whole situation.

The people of Fallujah will never support us. There is no way to win their hearts and minds. They never had either, they only had Saddam.

The Shia would like to run Iraq for a change (The UN still would prefer to see Sunni leadership). I don’t believe the majority of Iraqis want an Islamic government. But the concern is that if we take Sadr, more Shia will join his supporters. They won’t if we threaten them with a division of the country into Arab and Kurdish nations. That as an implication up front might settle it all down without the need for fighting.

What we cannot do is let this fester.

Wretchard compares Kerry to De Gaulle. Appropriate.

Honor is something ingrained in every military man and woman from the beginning. Our nation was founded by men of honor, who saw themselves not as future rulers, but guardians of liberty for all. The concept of service was more than lip service.

The American Thinker carries an article by Christopher Orlet that puts the insurgency in Iraq into proper perspective as regards honor.