Voice from the Commonwealth Commentary, World Views and Occasional Rants from a small 'l' libertarian in Massachussetts
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams
.
Praise for Voice
"A smart fellow...I do like, recommend and learn from Barbera's blog." -Roger L. Simon
"Your blog is bullshit"- anonymous angry French reader.
Is this the woman who will serve as interim governor of Iraq?
Barbara Bodine, 54, has been asked to return to Baghdad, the city where she once served as a junior diplomat -- this time as its interim governor until a new postwar Iraqi government is set up, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.
During the first Gulf War, she was among 27 Americans held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait by occupying Iraqi forces for more than four months without water, power, telephone and food supplies. In 1999, as ambassador to Yemen, she led secret negotiations over the release of three Americans who had been kidnapped by armed tribesmen.
In 2000, during her stint as ambassador in the Yemeni capital, al-Qaeda terrorists launched their attack on the warship USS Cole in the port of Aden, killing 17 Americans. She handled negotiations that enabled the FBI to help investigate the attack.
Less than a year later, she and 90 other passengers were flying to the Yemeni city of Taiz -- where she was to meet the country's president -- when their flight was hijacked by a terrorist who ordered the pilot to fly to Baghdad but was eventually overpowered by crew.
She shares the view of Washington's hawks that most Middle Eastern Muslims would welcome democracy and better relations with the U.S. She has also argued that advancing women's rights is a first step towards rooting out terrorism.
The Western Civilization and Democracy Net Ring celebrates Western civilization and its universal values of individual freedom, political democracy and equal rights for all. All sites promoting human rights and democracy are welcome.
