[Dean's World] Dave Price: Democratic Defiance

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Posted by Dave Price:
Democratic Defiance
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1176493018.shtml


   Members of Iraq's parliament [1]refuse to be intimidated by
   terrorists, even as the thugs kill one of their number.

     Iraq's parliament met in an extraordinary session of "defiance" on
     Friday, the Muslim day of prayer, and declared it would not bow to
     terrorism. A bouquet of red roses and a white lily sat in the place
     of Mohammed Awad, the lawmaker killed a day earlier in the dining
     hall suicide bombing claimed by al-Qaida
     ...
     In the special session Friday, lawmakers took the podium one after
     another to denounce the bombing. One MP had his arm in sling and a
     woman lawmaker wore a neck brace.
     "The more they (terrorists) act, the more solid we become. When
     they take from us one martyr, we will offer more martyrs," Vice
     President Adil Abdul-Mahdi said. "The more they target our unity,
     the stronger our unity becomes."

   What's especially interesting is that Al Qaeda is apparently targeting
   Sunni lawmakers (according to some witnesses, the bomber actually
   sought out Awad).
   With the majority of the Sunni tribes allying with coalition forces
   against Al Qaeda and the Shia militias lying low, the "civil war" now
   appears to be mostly an intra-Sunni affair -- with the result that
   overall violence may be beginning to ebb.

     Only 20 people were killed or found dead across Iraq on Friday,
     with just five victims of sectarian assassinations found in the
     capital. That was the second lowest since the security operation
     began in Baghdad on Feb. 14.

References

   1. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iraq;_ylt=AhiLt4kME.Gbr23U46gfgpxX6GMA