Note: This post is by new author Trevor Smith, a UA political science senior. Welcome aboard, Trevor, even if it’s only for a few days. –GPO

The best speech at CPAC that nobody heard about was given in Ukranian by the former prime minister. Yulia Tymoshenko delivered a powerful message that reached beyond a foreign language to touch the hearts of those who listened. Tymoshenko , who was given the Ronald Reagan Award, discussed the struggle for freedom and liberty in her country. She talked about Reagan’s hopeful message about a shining city on the hill and tough stance against tyranny, which inspired her to take a stand. Tymoshenko, who led the Orange Revolution, did not have to risk her life to fight against evil forces. Yet, her belief in serving a cause greater then self motivated her to act. Her speech reminded me that US policy decisions have far reaching impacts across the globe. That is why I believe that we must not turn our backs on those who are risking their lives for liberty - like in Iraq. And we should not ignore those who are building their own shining city.

It looks like ERes was down for a while, but DocuFax and Audio reserves are still down.

Commenter "Topher George" astutely noted in a comment yesterday that it could be a hack attempt against the university’s terrorist intelligence tracking project.  It’s certainly a possibility, but I don’t imagine they’d ever tell us.

ASUA is holding its candidate information session today in the SUMC Santa Rita room at 6:00 p.m. Expect my presence. We’re about to find out whether free speech survived the ASUA Senate.

Update: New elections code is online.  From a very quick inspection, there’s only one part I don’t like.

7-2.03    Any and all websites, web pages, and/or profiles on online networking sites
including, but not limited to Facebook and MySpace, utilized for the purpose of
campaigning by a candidate and/or a member of their campaign staff shall be
approved by the Elections Commissioner. Any changes made to the
aforementioned after initial approval do not require subsequent approval;
however, the changes are subject to the rules and regulations of this Code.

The major free speech changes made look to include no longer requiring approval of physical campaign materials and no longer requiring approval for electronic updates.  It looks like liberty has prevailed.  Now we shall see whether we can change "tradition" and make these elections dignified.

Candidates, expect questions much like last year.  Readers, direct questions to ask the candidates by emailing me.  [gpohara at gmail dot com]

Update II: Benny Parsons has passed away.  It’s been a sad winter for NASCAR.  Rest in peace.

Both the Citizen and the Star are reporting that the UA network has been hacked from a French IP address.  The initial break-in happened back in November, but only back on Tuesday did they actually find that something had gone wrong.  Services to students appear now to be restored, but there are concerns over theft of UA credit card numbers and employees’ Social Security Numbers.

BAGHDAD — Amidst celebratory gunfire all over Shiite and Kurdish areas of Iraq over the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, doubts are being raised over the actual veracity of the execution, the most notable of which is coming from Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Saddam’s former information minister.  Speaking on Tucson’s favorite television show, Amy Goodman’s "Democracy Now!", al-Sahhaf declared "Saddam and his followers are fighting valiantly against the American infidels before the gallows as we speak.  He is sending them to God, who will roast their stomachs in hell.  Bush’s international gang of colonial bastards is being pushed into the swamp as we speak."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in turn called for an immediate Congressional investigation into further allegations that Saddam would be inhumanely cut into quarters and sent to the four corners of Mecca.

With the huge elections brouhaha from last semester, I’ve discovered that corruption digs deeper than college student councils. 

A 14-year-old West Miami-Dade boy ran away from home last week, boarded a plane and took a startling international flight alone — to Havana, his father said Tuesday.

Alfredo Diaz, a 10th-grader at G. Holmes Braddock Senior High, cleared an American Airlines security check and boarded a Miami-to-Nassau flight on Thursday, even though the carrier requires escorts for anyone under 15.

[…] 

Alfredo may have been caught up in some typical teenage angst. He had met a special girl during a visit to Cuba this summer, his father said. And in school, he was accused of cheating to try to win the class presidency.

[…] 

Alfredo returned to Miami three days before school began and decided to run for class president, his father said. The effort soured when Alfredo was accused of voter fraud for casting votes for himself in the name of friends, his father said.

I once said that ASUA acts like a glorified high school student council.  I guess this proves it in more than one way! 

ht: Disturbingly Yellow 

Consider the university community very relieved.  The Wildcat just broke the story that Elif Shafak has been acquitted of her charge of "insulting Turkishness."  I imagine she is now breathing a huge sigh of relief alongsider her husband and newborn daughter.

EuroNews has video.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how traditionalist Turks can characterize the EU as Nazis for their views on freedom of speech.  I tried to find a second source of these flags and only found one concerning 1999 Yugoslavia. 

Elif Shafak, the embattled University of Arizona assistant professor of Near Eastern Studies, gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday.  Now her girl may not see her mother for a number of years, as Shafak’s trial starts tomorrow.   Though Shafak wants to attend the first day of the trial, her current medical condition may not enable her to do so.

The New York Times also put out a decent article.  For once.

UA Near Eastern studies assistant professor Elif Shafak goes to trial today amid expecting a child.  AP has more.  Please let me know if you have additional info.

Update (2:22 P.M.): Conflicting news reports say the trial is on the 21st.  Does anybody know for sure?

Update (9/1): A second source has corroborated the story.  Stand by for text.

A credible source tells me that the ASUA Senate has just passed a resolution in support of UA assistant professor of Near Eastern Studies Elif Shafak.  Shafak is currently awaiting her Sept. 12th trial (with child, mind you) for "insulting Turkishness."

Major kudos to ASUA for standing up for our people. 

Guess what?  It’s election time again, and Iraq the Vote is at it again.  Of all the things I could possibly gripe about in the Wildcat’s article about the ASUA budget, Rock the Vote has to be the absolute worst.

Rock the Vote:

• Thinks a military draft is still in the works. (WTF?)
  
• Wants more government interference in health care.
• Capitalizes the racial terms "white" and "black".
• And more…

Regardless of whether one might agree with these positions, ASUA just took a major external political stand.  I was hoping that the higher number of conservatives would have changed things like this for the better, but I’m apparently wrong.

Finally, the Wildcat has made mention of the current plight of UA assistant professor Elif Shafak.  Nothing officially from UA as far as I know, but the Wildcat today put out an article concerning a letter-writing campaign gaining momentum as well as a well-argued column from Matt Stone.  ASUA ought to get involved as well; let’s see if they do.

UA assistant professor Elif Shafak from her website

As previously reported, UA assistant Near Eastern studies professor Elif Shafak’s trial is scheduled for Sept. 21st in Istanbul.  Turns out that her baby is due four days later.  Still yet, the court won’t give her a new trial.

Still nothing from UA or the Wildcat. Pathetic.