In allowing my blog to fall into increasing bouts of radio silence, I've done a disservice to my continued support for the Arab Spring, a term I refuse to retire, even in light of the bloody, soul-crushing mess unfolding in Syria.
Whatever happens going forward, irrespective of what now seems a likely outbreak of widespread civil war, it remains vitally important to recognize the incredible duration of time over which the protests were peaceful in nature, and even more important to celebrate those factions of the uprising that continue to plead for passive resistance to this day.
As a testament both to the non-violent protests and to those individuals who've felt themselves driven to take up arms, I strongly recommend to anyone with with the requisite emotional fortitude this stunning footage from the CNN homepage. It was compiled in Homs over the course of the last three weeks, since the start of the siege, by an as-yet anonymous French journalist. In addition to capturing with singular immediacy the atrocities that transpire as we speak, it's an incredible testament to a man's commitment to reportage. He charges into firefights, machine guns blasting within arm's reach of his lens . . . crosses an open street through sniper fire to interview people who've gathered in a makeshift hospital . . . interviews children who've been slammed with shellfire.
To anyone who watches the video - 10 minutes in length, but a 10 minutes that left me with the impression that I'd watched a feature-length documentary - I can only hope it will excite the commitment I feel, at least in the barest sense, of keeping the troubled nation in mind.
In supporting Syria, and by extension the global community, I'll be one more voice calling on Assad to get the hell out of Dodge.
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