The Sound of Distant Thunder

Last night the flashes on the horizon were lightning, the rumbles thunder. Tonight the sky is nearly clear, I think it's something else. I saw precision demonstrated in the land of chaos today - and some other time I'll tell you more but for now be proud to be American, you who are, and know that sometimes something other than cold can send shivers down a spine. It was nothing, really - if you're the sort that feels pride in his heart and tears in his eyes when our national anthem plays then you likely understand anyway, and need no more explanation, and if not you have my pity.

On another note, I was close enough to hear the booms again, but far enough to only imagine the screams that must have followed. Amazing that this story would be used to bury this one:

On Saturday, a breakthrough peace initiative to end battles in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City was announced by Iraq's interim government and militia loyal to rebel cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Attacks on U.S. and Iraqi soldiers and almost daily U.S. airstrikes have been going on for weeks in the sprawling slum, which is populated by 2 million people.

Under the plan, al-Sadr's Mehdi militia will hand over medium and heavy weapons during a five-day grace period beginning on Monday.

Thousands of weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and mortars will be handed in at various centers controlled by police, the National Guard and City Council officials, according to Iraq's interim government.

And in the process, Iraqi security forces, backed up by U.S. forces, will take control of the area.

They would be allowed to conduct weapons searches and operations against those who oppose the initiative.

Interim National Security Adviser Kasim Dawood called the plan a "breakthrough" deal and a "big achievement" toward consolidating national unity in Iraq.

What we have here, IMHO, is a guy loosing support for his "insurgency" as casualties mount. Suddenly, the lightbulb comes on - he can achieve power through Democratic means!

Too good to be true? Perhaps. We'll see. If it is true, it's momentous, and it's inexcusable to bury such a story.

But this means nothing to foreign fighters or others who await the fate that Allah wills them in the Sunni triangle. But it does mean more Americans and Iraqis will be free to deal with them when the time comes.

And as I said, the flashes and booms on the horizon tonight are happening for reasons other than nature's fury, though certainly there's fury none the less.

Speaking of fury, look how unhappy these guys are, posing with the man who sent too few of them to do the job right (/sarcasm):

The Muslim calendar is a lunar one. Early tomorrow the crescent moon will rise, a scant bit over 10% of full disc. Soon it will be gone.

Soon it will be Ramadan.