Blogging in Fear

As I sit here tonight "blogging" as if it's something as mundane as BS-ing with a co-worker about the news of the day or posting a message on a bulletin board (the old fashioned variety), I think of Abdelkareem ("Kareem") Nabil Soliman. He's an Egyptian blogger who goes on trial this Friday for, well, blogging. He allegedly criticized President Mubarak and "religion" on his Arabic-language blog, was arrested in November, and now faces 9 years in prison.

There's an online signature drive to free Kareem available here. His story is something to remember as we ruminate in our pajamas without worry that our lives will be ruined based on the universally-available words that we write. With friends like Mubarak, who needs enemies who hate freedom? (HT--Big HT--to Tom Palmer.)