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it seems really difficult to say much coherent at this point about the elections.
i do not feel as though i can speculate about turnout levels, etc.
i do wonder about the question of legitimacy--but that too will play itself out on the ground.
there are to be something on the order of a hundred candidates on the ballot--but the campign is truncated by fear of violence, so that part is odd.
what strikes me as really odd is that in addition to the 100 or so candidates, the kurdish region is being offered a national referendum. i suspect this is payback for the support lent the invasion. and here i thought the looting of the iraqi museum was enough. silly me. i wonder what the implications regionally will be if this referendum in favor of national autonomy passes--i imagine the turks will be double-plus unpleased with it. i also wonder what the relation will be between this measure, if it passes, and the "transitional government"
trying to seperate views of this ritual from my general opposition to the war is not easy. this is the best i have managed so far.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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