Writing
Intersections of fate in Bahrain
MANAMA, Bahrain — It is likely that Zahra Saleh Mohammed, 27, and Ali Yousif Al Satrawi, 16, probably never met during their lives in Bahrain. They only met in that wider inhospitable universe of people harmed abruptly and unnaturally on the same day because of the same protest and both being in wrong places atRead moreAttacks on Bahrain’s Asian citizens documented by Independent Commission
MANAMA, Bahrain — An independent commission examining the unrest that occurred in Bahrain earlier this year will document and detail the widespread attacks by anti-government protestors on South Asian citizens that left at least four dead and almost 100 injured. That report will be the first public examination of the scale and suffering caused byRead moreA Pause Button Hits Bahrain
Foreign Policy Association blog, November 18, 2011 The fast-forward events of political discourse in Bahrain that were rushing towards October 31 have come to an unexpected halt. Just as the countdown reached single digits to the release of an independent commission’s report that would detail in depth who did what in the street protests earlierRead moreOn an island far, far away..
Members of Congress are quite knowledgeable about the often-accidental nature of political elections. If not for a butterfly ballot in Florida, Al Gore may have been president and subsequently Barack Obama would perhaps not even be a U.S. Senator, for example. Or if not for the upset win of Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell,Read moreOde to Anna on the Beach
liner notes for a 2012 calendar. “The beach shimmers in many ways, especially when Anna is there. The sky and waters and sand are more brilliant in their colors and their calliope. The sea foam applauds, the waves crash like cymbals in an orchestra. “It is impossible not to feel happy on Gilgo Beach whenRead moreA Very Fine House
Huffington Post, October 5, 2011 MANAMA, Bahrain –It took Tom Hayden 14 years, two months and four days to go from being one of the leaders at the demonstrations that disrupted the 1968 Democratic presidential convention to his trial as one of the Chicago Seven to winning a seat in the California state assembly in 1982.Read moreA Lighter Shade of Gray
Huffington Post, October 2, 2011 Huffington Post Posted: 10/02/11 05:00 PM ET Sanabis, Bahrain — Lane 446 is one of the more restive areas of Bahrain, where the drama of dissent gets played out in a cacophony of senses. At night, the insults grate the ears, the rocks cause pain and damage, andRead moreIt’s Not The Same Old Story
Huffington Post Posted: 9/21/11 10:04 AM ET A’ali, Bahrain — The rubber stamp storyline out of Bahrain is that it is the latest chapter of the people rising against the evil rulers in the 2011 drama of the Arab Spring. Spend a few days and nights away from the hotels and international clusters andRead moreWhere Are You Elizabeth?
Where are you Elizabeth? The roses that Gabriella and I planted in the back yard are already looking beautiful. The strawberry plants have lined the brick wall we built. And later in the summer, the tomatoes and peppers and eggplants will be ready for your tasting. You love my meals. The duck dinner in SarajevoRead moreOde To Miss Bramson
By Joseph Squitieri (my father) Of all the fishes in the sea, I’d rather be a bass. I’d swim about the sea all day and cut this English class. I care not for this poetry and less for Keats or Shelley; I’d rather be in Frank’s cafe with Flora, Ann or Nellie. IRead moreCan Michael Williams Energize Texas?
A rock-solid, bow tie-wearing conservative who’s not yet famous, Williams is aiming for a sear in the U.S. Senate, Lots of Texans are paying attention. by Tom Squitieri If all goes according to Michael Williams’ plan, by fall, he’ll be one of only two African-Americans in the U.S. Senate—and the only black Republican there. ButRead more‘A Godsend to the GOP’
Puerto Rico’s Luis Fortuno heads a new breed of Republicans governors—charismatic thought leaders who know how to the get the job done. By Tom Squitieri Governors are hot properties in the Republican Party these days, and none more so than Luis Fortuno. The governor of Puerto Rico exemplifies Republican philosophy. And he gradually has becomeRead more