No news is no news

I've been busy planning my escape from Jersey, and my diabolical plan is nearly complete, so I've been ignoring the news lately. Well not ignoring, more like withholding my opinion. And I've been reliving my High School and early College music listening, mostly the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Rancid and Luscious Jackson. UNC-Duke is on at 4, so I'm eagerly waiting for tip-off. Ohio State managed to knock Illinois into the ranks of the defeated, in the immortal words of George Costanza, "that's a shame."
I've also done a little reading on the Druze and Walid and Kamal Jumblatt. The Druze are an interesting group. Islam doesn't tend to recognize them, although officials claim that Druze is an islamic religion. Some Druze claim to be Arab, while some don't. Specifically Lebanese Druze consider themselves Arab, while Israeli Druze do not. The basic tenets of the Druze are based on some of the Gnostic, Greek philosophical and Christian traditions. It was created in the 10th century. Orthodox Muslims see the Druze religion almost as a form of sacrelige since they have a different incarnation of God. The Jumblatt's are probably the most famous of the Druze politicians. Kamal was a Lebanese Druze politician, a social reformer in the Post-World War II middle east. He held a number of posts in Lebanese government prior to being assassinated by Syrian forces. Walid is Kamal's son, and currently recognized as the head of the "Cedar Revolution." He's also recognized as having made anti-American remarks during the war in Iraq, I can't find the quote, but in essence he said Arabs cheered when they would see the American death toll on a daily basis. Following the murder of Harari, and the subsequent uprising, he credited the Iraqi elections and to a lesser degree America for creating an environment in which the thirst for freedom is something many Arabs are willing to demonstrate for. This is not a self congratulatory pat on the back for America, but it certainly shines a bright light on our efforts to free the world. What an amazing resource Wikipedia is.