Publius pundit has several posts and links; Yahoo has ongoing photo updates here.
From Publius:
In just a couple of hours, we will see if democratic opposition candidate Alexander Milinkevich’s call to the people for street protests against an obviously fraudulent election will pan out. People are to meet at October Square in the middle of Minsk at 6:30 p.m. wearing smiles first and foremost. They will call for a recount and new elections.
Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has condemned the election. The chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Senator Brownback (R-KS) has slammed the election as a complete “farce.†Ministers from the European Union have followed suit, and are pursuing the path of bolstering sanctions against supporters of the regime. All in all, it is Western democratic countries that are critical of what is happening in Belarus today.
[…]
IT BEGINS: Neeka reports that Channel 5 from Ukraine says that people are going to October Square, and that there are even more protestors than last night! It’s on, baby! It must be, because the government is DDoSing Charter 97 again.
The White House is calling for a new vote.
UPDATES: Ivan Lenin is translating LiveJournal reports from Minsk-based lipski, as well as others.
Be sure to check out the ongoing updates at Publius’ site as protests enter their second night.
For additional reading, see PJ Media, Strategy Page, and Timothy Garton Ash.
(h/t Glenn Reynolds)
Keep it down out there. Jimmy might hear there was a rigged election he wasn’t invited to and you know how grumpy he gets.
Watch, now. The idiots on the Left will surely start spouting off about how, since Bush stole the election in ‘00 and ‘04, who are we to criticize Belarus’ legitimate attempts at exercising their democratic rights.
Morons.
Thirdfinger – hmmm. Good point, anyone know what Jimmy The Upright, Good and Moral has to say about this one?
Pretty far out, especially considering the number of times we’ve seen this same basic scenario repeated in the recent past. My gut tells me that this time, though, the protesters are going to lose. Still, moral victory and all that, but the payday won’t be for years.
Just my completely unjustifiable guess based on the few snatches of reports I’ve found.
I fear you may be correct, Beck. But tonight should be the decisive moment. If the leadership can find a way to motivate the people to come back in larger numbers, then they’ve got a real horse in the race. But, if not, then Lukashenko appears to have been right about his indestructability.
I wish Europe was being more vocal about it. It’s making the news over here, but not on the front page where it should be. I suspect that’s also the case in the US. Why? There’s every reason to make it the top story for a day or two.
Finally, I’ll conclude by pointing out how silly it is for some people to feel the need to use this issue as a lame excuse for ranting about Carter and the Democrats… as if that had anything to do with anything. This is an issue we should all be able to agree on and I’d like to think that most reasonable people see no need for petty, small minded divisiveness.
A heads-up!
Watch for wall-to-wall coverage of ‘06’s Augusta National Golf Tourney in the NYT this week. 1st headline reads, “Why won’t Bush let Women play?” The LAT will focus on “Immigration Issues.”
Meanwhile, far far away from Suffield, CT., Mill Valley, CA and Seattle’s Capitol Hill, good people are preparing to die for their freedoms.
-Steve
Iran has gotten involved (no doubt at the behest of Putin).
“Iranian president congratulates Lukashenko on landslide victory”
http://en.rian.ru/world/20060321/44619308.html
Meanwhile, Russia continues to court, support, and promote other extremist Islamist dictators.
http://mosnews.com/news/2006/03/21/heavenlypromise.shtml
From a press conference.
(aside, Lukashenko’s a communists, right?)
I hereby certify that this election was properly done with no fraud. Attempts by the Bush regime to interfere with this nation’s sovereignty is just another example of the hubris of this administration.