At the UN, Bush said that if Iraq’s government doesn’t obey the UN, then Iraq’s government is illegitimate, and if the UN doesn’t do what Bush tells it to do, then the UN is illegitimate. His proof of Iraq’s nuclear, excuse me, nookyuler, program is that Iraq has tried to buy aluminum tubes, but was fortunately stopped. Somehow I don’t feel particularly threatened--Oh my God, he has an aluminum tube!
Meanwhile, the British Parliament will soon be recalled in order to have a debate on the Iraq war. Not a vote, mind you, that would be too much like democracy (making war is a prerogative of the crown, so there is sometimes a vote, and sometimes not--there was none before the Falklands war). The government will release its long-delayed dossier on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction 3½ hours before the debate starts.
At a British hospital, a woman had a prosthetic right knee joint installed. In her left leg, unfortunately.
Following up a glancing reference in the London Times to the speech after Bush’s at the UN, that of Generalissimo Musharaf, I went to the Times of India’s website. 1st insight: in headlines, they call him Mush. Mush had some not very nice things to say about India. And in keeping with the theme of the day of using the UN to make threats, Russia threatened war against Georgia. And Robert Mugabe attacked Tony Blair.
By the way, is it not bad taste for the US to bitch about Iraq violating commands from the UN Security Council, when the Security Council is set up so that it will never make any demands on the US?
And as Bush prepared to give the speech, he sent the real message to the UN by moving war hq from Florida to Qatar. He told the UN not to make itself “irrelevant,” a word I’ve gotten pretty sick of this year as Ariel Sharon keeps using it for Arafat.
Nelson Mandela accuses the US of racism in its selective condemnation of certain countries having certain weapons. It’s evidently ok for a white country like Israel. He also says that the US lack of respect for the UN is perceived as coming from the series of black secretary-generals.
When Afghani interim puppet in chief Karzai was almost assassinated last week, he was saved by his American Special Forces bodyguards. Back in the US, Pentagon officials saw the footage and saw a really major problem--the soldiers looked pretty scruffy. They had been encouraged to blend in, so they all had beards and bandanas. They have since been ordered to shave (they all have sunburn now) and wear nice pressed uniforms--which will make them targets.
A poem from a Washington Post reporter, consisting of lines from Shrub:
MAKE THE PIE HIGHER By George W. Bush
I think that we all agree, the past is over.
This is still a dangerous world.
It's a world of madmen and uncertainty and potential mental losses.
Rarely is the question asked
Is our children learning?
Will the highways of the Internet become more few?
How many hands have I shaked?
They misunderestimate me.
I am a pitbull on the pantleg of opportunity.
I know that the human being and the fish can coexist.
Families is where our nation finds hope, where
Our wings take dream.
Put food on your family!
Knock down the tollbooth!
Vulcanize society!
Make the pie higher! Make the pie higher!
Thursday, September 12, 2002
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
Happy Patriot Day!
I’ve read that telemarketers are taking Sept. 11 off. So the terrorists have won after all.
Mark Hertsgaard comments on something missing in the media’s 9/11 coverage, that it was the anniversary of the US-sponsored coup in Chile in 1973, where the official death toll was 3,197.
A candidate for sheriff of La Plata County, Colorado has dropped out of the race after he shot a gang member. He, the candidate, was dressed at the time in women’s clothing, which he said was because he was part of an undercover assignment, and was leaving an adult bookstore. He refuses to say what agency was employing him at the time of the incident. In fact, no one can figure out if he has ever had a law enforcement job.
A Jewish family in Israel, who came from the US four years ago, took the Israeli bribes for doing so etc., have all converted to Islam (the father was converted over the internet). This has never happened before and the immigration ministry doesn’t really have a procedure for it. Their passports still say Jew (do Israeli passports really specify religion? Wasn’t the last country to do that Nazi Germany in 1938?).
While driving today, at a couple of overpasses I saw people waving large flags. One of them was chatting on his cell phone at the same time.
So happy Patriot Day, everybody. I think after using that word for the “USA PATRIOT Act,” with its detentions without trials, unlimited phone and e-mail taps, etc etc, maybe it was inappropriate to use it as well for the commemoration. Personally at 5:46 a.m. I sang a verse of “Happy birthday, international terrorist incident,” but that’s me. The Food Network (I first typed Foot Network, which must be one of the few channels my cable doesn’t carry) was off the air, which I suppose is a better statement than if they’d stayed on and just run pork recipes all day. Turner Classic Movies was running “Manhattan Melodrama.”
Speaking of movies, I just want to note the death of actor Katrin Cartlidge, who would have been one of the greats.
A letter to the Daily Telegraph says that Britain is obligated to join the US in its war on Iraq, given our support in both world wars. So if the US starts the war in 2003, Britain should enter in, say, 2006.
You’ll remember my theory that the reason the ATF wasn’t included in the Ministerium der Homeland Security was to make sure that no information on gun owners was ever used for law enforcement purposes. Well now the Bushies want to move it from Treasury to the clammy hands of John Ashcroft at Justice, where no doubt it will be renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Dancing.
A Washington Post editorial notes that on 12/7/42, the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, things were a lot clearer than they were today, with the US at war with Japan, Germany and Italy. Actually, I’d have said that was a lot like our case. FDR used the incident to expand a war from one enemy to many. Germany had no more to do with Pearl Harbor than Iraq with the World Trade Center (yes yes, I know Germany declared war on us, but the point still holds good).
I thought that fuss in UC Berkeley over whether ribbons should be white or red, white & blue was silly until today, when Bush in his speech said that the victims of 9/11 were killed because they were Americans, which of course many of them were not. He also said that we fight for the dignity of life, just in case you were collecting oxymorons. He also said something about liberating a nation and it took me a minute to realize he meant Afghanistan.
Bush, whether he knows it or not, is now responsible for everything everywhere in the world. He wanted a world-wide war on terrorism, he got it, but the responsibility goes along with it. This month, Pakistanis are blaming him for "letting" Musharaf rewrite the constitution to give himself and the
military absolute power over any “civilian” government. And they are right to assign the blame to Bush, who is now officially helping prop Musharaf up, although two years ago he couldn't come up with his name when asked. The rule of the war lords/criminals
in Afghanistan, that’s his as well. He now runs the world and, gosh, good luck with that. This is why the establishment of a viable Middle East peace is mandatory.
Many of you know my theory that when the US’s attention is elsewhere, as it is today, Israel commits an atrocity. Well, I don’t know that it did, but it did threaten Lebanon with war if it goes ahead with a water project.
Incidentally, I was wrong earlier about the telemarketers. I have in fact been given the opportunity today to switch phone companies.
Mark Hertsgaard comments on something missing in the media’s 9/11 coverage, that it was the anniversary of the US-sponsored coup in Chile in 1973, where the official death toll was 3,197.
A candidate for sheriff of La Plata County, Colorado has dropped out of the race after he shot a gang member. He, the candidate, was dressed at the time in women’s clothing, which he said was because he was part of an undercover assignment, and was leaving an adult bookstore. He refuses to say what agency was employing him at the time of the incident. In fact, no one can figure out if he has ever had a law enforcement job.
A Jewish family in Israel, who came from the US four years ago, took the Israeli bribes for doing so etc., have all converted to Islam (the father was converted over the internet). This has never happened before and the immigration ministry doesn’t really have a procedure for it. Their passports still say Jew (do Israeli passports really specify religion? Wasn’t the last country to do that Nazi Germany in 1938?).
While driving today, at a couple of overpasses I saw people waving large flags. One of them was chatting on his cell phone at the same time.
So happy Patriot Day, everybody. I think after using that word for the “USA PATRIOT Act,” with its detentions without trials, unlimited phone and e-mail taps, etc etc, maybe it was inappropriate to use it as well for the commemoration. Personally at 5:46 a.m. I sang a verse of “Happy birthday, international terrorist incident,” but that’s me. The Food Network (I first typed Foot Network, which must be one of the few channels my cable doesn’t carry) was off the air, which I suppose is a better statement than if they’d stayed on and just run pork recipes all day. Turner Classic Movies was running “Manhattan Melodrama.”
Speaking of movies, I just want to note the death of actor Katrin Cartlidge, who would have been one of the greats.
A letter to the Daily Telegraph says that Britain is obligated to join the US in its war on Iraq, given our support in both world wars. So if the US starts the war in 2003, Britain should enter in, say, 2006.
You’ll remember my theory that the reason the ATF wasn’t included in the Ministerium der Homeland Security was to make sure that no information on gun owners was ever used for law enforcement purposes. Well now the Bushies want to move it from Treasury to the clammy hands of John Ashcroft at Justice, where no doubt it will be renamed the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Dancing.
A Washington Post editorial notes that on 12/7/42, the first anniversary of Pearl Harbor, things were a lot clearer than they were today, with the US at war with Japan, Germany and Italy. Actually, I’d have said that was a lot like our case. FDR used the incident to expand a war from one enemy to many. Germany had no more to do with Pearl Harbor than Iraq with the World Trade Center (yes yes, I know Germany declared war on us, but the point still holds good).
I thought that fuss in UC Berkeley over whether ribbons should be white or red, white & blue was silly until today, when Bush in his speech said that the victims of 9/11 were killed because they were Americans, which of course many of them were not. He also said that we fight for the dignity of life, just in case you were collecting oxymorons. He also said something about liberating a nation and it took me a minute to realize he meant Afghanistan.
Bush, whether he knows it or not, is now responsible for everything everywhere in the world. He wanted a world-wide war on terrorism, he got it, but the responsibility goes along with it. This month, Pakistanis are blaming him for "letting" Musharaf rewrite the constitution to give himself and the
military absolute power over any “civilian” government. And they are right to assign the blame to Bush, who is now officially helping prop Musharaf up, although two years ago he couldn't come up with his name when asked. The rule of the war lords/criminals
in Afghanistan, that’s his as well. He now runs the world and, gosh, good luck with that. This is why the establishment of a viable Middle East peace is mandatory.
Many of you know my theory that when the US’s attention is elsewhere, as it is today, Israel commits an atrocity. Well, I don’t know that it did, but it did threaten Lebanon with war if it goes ahead with a water project.
Incidentally, I was wrong earlier about the telemarketers. I have in fact been given the opportunity today to switch phone companies.
Monday, September 09, 2002
Here’s a sweet story: a man in Iran cut off his 7-year old daughter’s head because he thought she had been raped. She hadn’t. The man said “The motive behind the killing was to defend my honour, fame, and dignity.” Well at least he still has those.
On the Sunday talk shows, Condi Rice says that the US has the right of self-defence under the UN Charter and that the burden of proof is on...Iraq. Logic is not big in the Bush administration. I’m assuming that the concept of Iraq also having a right of self-defence never entered into anyone’s minds. She also said "The United Nations and Security Council have teeth, and in 1991, they bared those teeth to try to deal with this real threat." Did they also jump up and down and throw their own poo? Dick Cheney says "We don't have all the evidence. We have 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent. We don't know how much. We know we have a part of the picture.” No wonder the burden of proof is on Iraq: the American case for pre-emptive war is predicated entirely on the ignorance and incompetence of the CIA.
Israel has banned 12 members of the Palestinian parliament representing Gaza from attending the Parliament. Security, you know.
Mouse pads showing Jesus weeping for the Twin Towers.
How does UC Berkeley plan to spend September 11? Debating the appropriate color of ribbons to wear and whether the display of American flags is appropriate.
On the Sunday talk shows, Condi Rice says that the US has the right of self-defence under the UN Charter and that the burden of proof is on...Iraq. Logic is not big in the Bush administration. I’m assuming that the concept of Iraq also having a right of self-defence never entered into anyone’s minds. She also said "The United Nations and Security Council have teeth, and in 1991, they bared those teeth to try to deal with this real threat." Did they also jump up and down and throw their own poo? Dick Cheney says "We don't have all the evidence. We have 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent. We don't know how much. We know we have a part of the picture.” No wonder the burden of proof is on Iraq: the American case for pre-emptive war is predicated entirely on the ignorance and incompetence of the CIA.
Israel has banned 12 members of the Palestinian parliament representing Gaza from attending the Parliament. Security, you know.
Mouse pads showing Jesus weeping for the Twin Towers.
How does UC Berkeley plan to spend September 11? Debating the appropriate color of ribbons to wear and whether the display of American flags is appropriate.
Sunday, September 08, 2002
You don't introduce new products in August
I mentioned the Florida trial of the two boys. They were convicted, the other guy was not, but the jury in the second case (the boys) says it was tricked, that it thought the other guy must have been convicted, and believed everyone was guilty but that the family friend did the actual murder. The jury convicted them, and exposed them to up to 22 years, because it thought they--opened the door. So what happened was that since the DA didn’t have any consistent theory of who actually committed the crime (and without one it was unethical to try anyone), the jury made up one of its own, largely based on guess-work. So what else happened, maybe, was that the defendant who got off was better able to game the system than a 13-year old, who was in no position to participate adequately in his own defense in a grown-up courtroom. They jury also didn’t believe the boys’ confessions.
Belgians have a technique they claim can determine the sex of children through IVF, that they can sort sperm by X & Y chromosome. It’s pretty much unproven, but they’re implementing it. But only to give couples who already have children a child of the opposite gender. I might not have mentioned this, but for the opportunity to note that the head of Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, who sound-bites for the Observer, is named Suzi Leather.
Evidently, if Quebec had declared independence in 1995, Canada was prepared to invade, at least to secure weapons stockpiles (for some reason, most of the Canadian army’s ammo dumps are in Quebec, isn’t that comforting).
A headline in the Wash Post says that Bush and Blair “decry” Saddam Hussein. In one of my linguistic moments, I stopped to look up decry and found that its origins was to “decrease the value of coins by royal proclamation”--or in this case, to increase the price of oil.
Explaining why the White House hasn’t made much of a case for the forthcoming Iraq war, chief of staff Andy Card says, “From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”
I almost wish the Bushies would make their case for Iraq entirely on the basis of American national interest, because it is when they speak for everyone else that they are at their most annoying. Saddam is breaking UN resolutions? Maybe, but that’s for the UN to say. Threatening his neighbors? There isn’t one country in the region, including Kuwait, which feels any threat. Kurds? The US has “stiffed” the Kurds by “crawfishing” in its policy more times than most Kurds have had hot meals, and they’re better off now, autonomous, than they would be forcibly re-integrated into a new “democratic” Iraq.
The Pentagon has cleared itself for the air strike on the wedding in Afghanistan.
The latest in incredibly intrusive surveillance of high school students.
Belgians have a technique they claim can determine the sex of children through IVF, that they can sort sperm by X & Y chromosome. It’s pretty much unproven, but they’re implementing it. But only to give couples who already have children a child of the opposite gender. I might not have mentioned this, but for the opportunity to note that the head of Britain’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, who sound-bites for the Observer, is named Suzi Leather.
Evidently, if Quebec had declared independence in 1995, Canada was prepared to invade, at least to secure weapons stockpiles (for some reason, most of the Canadian army’s ammo dumps are in Quebec, isn’t that comforting).
A headline in the Wash Post says that Bush and Blair “decry” Saddam Hussein. In one of my linguistic moments, I stopped to look up decry and found that its origins was to “decrease the value of coins by royal proclamation”--or in this case, to increase the price of oil.
Explaining why the White House hasn’t made much of a case for the forthcoming Iraq war, chief of staff Andy Card says, “From a marketing point of view, you don’t introduce new products in August.”
I almost wish the Bushies would make their case for Iraq entirely on the basis of American national interest, because it is when they speak for everyone else that they are at their most annoying. Saddam is breaking UN resolutions? Maybe, but that’s for the UN to say. Threatening his neighbors? There isn’t one country in the region, including Kuwait, which feels any threat. Kurds? The US has “stiffed” the Kurds by “crawfishing” in its policy more times than most Kurds have had hot meals, and they’re better off now, autonomous, than they would be forcibly re-integrated into a new “democratic” Iraq.
The Pentagon has cleared itself for the air strike on the wedding in Afghanistan.
The latest in incredibly intrusive surveillance of high school students.
Friday, September 06, 2002
Don't look now: Saddam is drowning kittens
Germany refuses to let a Turkish couple name their child Osama bin Laden.
Israel’s little show-trial of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti continues, and it’s darned entertaining. Today guards tackled his 13-year old son, and the judge made these impartial comments: someone fighting for peace "doesn't turn people into bombs and kill children".
The Siemens company has decided, after all, not to register Zyklon as a trademark for a range of products, including gas ovens.
Ari Fleischer says of Iraq, “No other nation has been as militaristic.”
Former-Soviet former-republic Georgia has given in to Russian pressure to allow its troops into the country to hunt for Chechens.
Bush has said that Congress will be allowed to debate Iraq, and that it will not influence him in the slightest because his mind is made up. The Magic 8 Ball has spoken!
Indeed, US intelligence has conveniently discovered new evidence that Iraq is putting up buildings in places we don't like, because when we bomb them back into the Stone Age, by God they'd better stay back in the Stone Age.
I’ve had to remove several British football references from the following:
Don’t look now: Saddam is drowning kittens
The warmongers failed to win public opinion, so they’re suddenly cobbling together ‘evidence’
By Mark Steel
The Independent
So, they’ve got the evidence, about the weapons of mass destruction, but we can’t see it just yet. Is it still at the printers? Is it being held up by a row about how you spell "aflatoxin"? Perhaps there’s a problem with the plot, and the scriptwriters are refusing to let it go because the character of Tariq Aziz is left in the air and the relationship between Saddam and the scud missiles left hopelessly unresolved.
If they know the evidence, why can’t they tell us the main points until we have the dossier? Or at least make a trailer: "This is a story of a man for whom mass destruction was simply a hobby - ‘Soon all my chemical weapons will be in place’ -- and two men determined to stop him - ‘My God, there’s enough uranium in there to murder every living thing in every country affiliated to Nato. And look at this delivery notice, it says he’s getting his last crucial warhead in exactly three months’ - Together they have 90 days to stop the axis of evil."
Or when it comes they might announce: "We don’t have any photos of his weapons of mass destruction just yet - but we have got drawings. In felt pen."
And what a coincidence, that this evidence should promise to pop up now, just as it becomes clear public opinion is against a war. It all looks as desperate as a couple coming back from holiday and incompetently trying to carry out an insurance fiddle. Blair and Bush are almost kicking each other under the table as they mutter: "They’ve definitely got plutonium. Uranium. No, plutonium. Hang on a minute - I thought we agreed uranium."
In a couple of weeks Blair will hold another press conference and announce he’s left the evidence on the Tube. But he has finished it, honest. Then that night he’ll ring Bush and say: "Can I copy yours?"
So for the time being we’re left with statements such as the one by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, who said the war must go ahead because "Saddam has not lived up to his promise to allow inspectors into the country". He was then asked if the war would still go ahead if Saddam did allow them into the country, and Fleischer answered: "The policy of the US is regime change, with or without inspectors." So if Saddam does admit inspectors, they’ll be doing the most pointless inspecting in the world. You couldn’t blame them if they sat in the shade for a fortnight and sent back a note saying: "He’s got a machine that can turn us all into tadpoles.".
Which would be at the level of one paper’s cut-out guide to "Iraq’s evil arsenal", pride of place going to "Scud missiles". It admits the accuracy of these things is less than a mile, so can we really go to war with someone for possessing a large firework? They might as well include "The Dead Leg. Evil thigh-tingling weapon that could numb several people in one day". The Scud, we are told, has a "range of 200 miles, making Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Kuwait possible targets". So either the demand is that Saddam gets rid of his Scuds, or that he moves Iraq to somewhere more than 200 miles from the nearest country.
But the tabloid also mentions nuclear weapons. For, "if Saddam acquires enriched uranium, he could be just months from building a warhead". If the Women’s Institute acquired enriched uranium, they could be just months from building a warhead. There is, however, a fair amount of evidence that Saddam doesn’t have the military power that Blair and Bush claim. Scott Ritter, who led the UN inspections team, has stated repeatedly that any nuclear potential was destroyed. And the last bunch of inspectors eventually left because they admitted they were acting as spies.
The other argument for war, that Saddam’s evil is proved by his war against Iran and his treatment of Kurds, is poetic in its hypocrisy. It’s true he did both those things but we were backing him at the time. The Americans shot down a civilian Iranian plane, vetoed a United Nations resolution condemning the attacks on the Kurds and dismissed anyone who pointed out this barbarism.
So it could be that because the warmongers are failing to win public opinion, they’re suddenly cobbling together "evidence". And there will be piles of it. Just like the stories of Germans raping nuns in 1914 and Iraqis throwing babies out of incubators in 1990, admitted as lies once those wars were over. There will be grainy film of Saddam chucking kittens in canals and crackly tape of him threatening to ruin David Beckham’s hair.
Israel’s little show-trial of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti continues, and it’s darned entertaining. Today guards tackled his 13-year old son, and the judge made these impartial comments: someone fighting for peace "doesn't turn people into bombs and kill children".
The Siemens company has decided, after all, not to register Zyklon as a trademark for a range of products, including gas ovens.
Ari Fleischer says of Iraq, “No other nation has been as militaristic.”
Former-Soviet former-republic Georgia has given in to Russian pressure to allow its troops into the country to hunt for Chechens.
Bush has said that Congress will be allowed to debate Iraq, and that it will not influence him in the slightest because his mind is made up. The Magic 8 Ball has spoken!
Indeed, US intelligence has conveniently discovered new evidence that Iraq is putting up buildings in places we don't like, because when we bomb them back into the Stone Age, by God they'd better stay back in the Stone Age.
I’ve had to remove several British football references from the following:
Don’t look now: Saddam is drowning kittens
The warmongers failed to win public opinion, so they’re suddenly cobbling together ‘evidence’
By Mark Steel
The Independent
So, they’ve got the evidence, about the weapons of mass destruction, but we can’t see it just yet. Is it still at the printers? Is it being held up by a row about how you spell "aflatoxin"? Perhaps there’s a problem with the plot, and the scriptwriters are refusing to let it go because the character of Tariq Aziz is left in the air and the relationship between Saddam and the scud missiles left hopelessly unresolved.
If they know the evidence, why can’t they tell us the main points until we have the dossier? Or at least make a trailer: "This is a story of a man for whom mass destruction was simply a hobby - ‘Soon all my chemical weapons will be in place’ -- and two men determined to stop him - ‘My God, there’s enough uranium in there to murder every living thing in every country affiliated to Nato. And look at this delivery notice, it says he’s getting his last crucial warhead in exactly three months’ - Together they have 90 days to stop the axis of evil."
Or when it comes they might announce: "We don’t have any photos of his weapons of mass destruction just yet - but we have got drawings. In felt pen."
And what a coincidence, that this evidence should promise to pop up now, just as it becomes clear public opinion is against a war. It all looks as desperate as a couple coming back from holiday and incompetently trying to carry out an insurance fiddle. Blair and Bush are almost kicking each other under the table as they mutter: "They’ve definitely got plutonium. Uranium. No, plutonium. Hang on a minute - I thought we agreed uranium."
In a couple of weeks Blair will hold another press conference and announce he’s left the evidence on the Tube. But he has finished it, honest. Then that night he’ll ring Bush and say: "Can I copy yours?"
So for the time being we’re left with statements such as the one by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, who said the war must go ahead because "Saddam has not lived up to his promise to allow inspectors into the country". He was then asked if the war would still go ahead if Saddam did allow them into the country, and Fleischer answered: "The policy of the US is regime change, with or without inspectors." So if Saddam does admit inspectors, they’ll be doing the most pointless inspecting in the world. You couldn’t blame them if they sat in the shade for a fortnight and sent back a note saying: "He’s got a machine that can turn us all into tadpoles.".
Which would be at the level of one paper’s cut-out guide to "Iraq’s evil arsenal", pride of place going to "Scud missiles". It admits the accuracy of these things is less than a mile, so can we really go to war with someone for possessing a large firework? They might as well include "The Dead Leg. Evil thigh-tingling weapon that could numb several people in one day". The Scud, we are told, has a "range of 200 miles, making Israel, Cyprus, Turkey, Iran and Kuwait possible targets". So either the demand is that Saddam gets rid of his Scuds, or that he moves Iraq to somewhere more than 200 miles from the nearest country.
But the tabloid also mentions nuclear weapons. For, "if Saddam acquires enriched uranium, he could be just months from building a warhead". If the Women’s Institute acquired enriched uranium, they could be just months from building a warhead. There is, however, a fair amount of evidence that Saddam doesn’t have the military power that Blair and Bush claim. Scott Ritter, who led the UN inspections team, has stated repeatedly that any nuclear potential was destroyed. And the last bunch of inspectors eventually left because they admitted they were acting as spies.
The other argument for war, that Saddam’s evil is proved by his war against Iran and his treatment of Kurds, is poetic in its hypocrisy. It’s true he did both those things but we were backing him at the time. The Americans shot down a civilian Iranian plane, vetoed a United Nations resolution condemning the attacks on the Kurds and dismissed anyone who pointed out this barbarism.
So it could be that because the warmongers are failing to win public opinion, they’re suddenly cobbling together "evidence". And there will be piles of it. Just like the stories of Germans raping nuns in 1914 and Iraqis throwing babies out of incubators in 1990, admitted as lies once those wars were over. There will be grainy film of Saddam chucking kittens in canals and crackly tape of him threatening to ruin David Beckham’s hair.
Thursday, September 05, 2002
And what rough beast, its hour come at last, crawfishes towards Bethlehem to be born
Bush sent the London Times reporter scurrying for his slang dictionary to figure out what the hell it means that Saddam Hussein has “crawfished” out of UN agreements. The foreign pages’ editor comments, “Presumably UN support, if it is given, will register more formal offences than these.”
In Florida, a DA is concluding his second murder trial for the same murder. This happened in Torrance a couple of years ago and got almost no publicity, but this one has gotten a bit more. This time, the jury verdict from the first trial has been sealed, so that the possibility that a conviction has already been reached won’t hurt the prosecution’s ability to put an entirely different theory to another jury. The two boys in the first trial were 12 and 13 at the time they’re supposed to have killed their father, but of course are being tried as tiny adults.
Israeli hackers have been conducting a little cyber-warfare against peace and pro-Palestinian activists in the US, sending out fake e-mails under their name with subjects like Down with the United States.
In Florida, a DA is concluding his second murder trial for the same murder. This happened in Torrance a couple of years ago and got almost no publicity, but this one has gotten a bit more. This time, the jury verdict from the first trial has been sealed, so that the possibility that a conviction has already been reached won’t hurt the prosecution’s ability to put an entirely different theory to another jury. The two boys in the first trial were 12 and 13 at the time they’re supposed to have killed their father, but of course are being tried as tiny adults.
Israeli hackers have been conducting a little cyber-warfare against peace and pro-Palestinian activists in the US, sending out fake e-mails under their name with subjects like Down with the United States.
Tuesday, September 03, 2002
The president is not a prop for some reality show
Evidently CNN offered to make those Al Qaida training films available to the government before airing--on condition that they’d get to film Bush’s reaction to the tape of the dog being gassed. Hey, Clinton would have done it. An unnamed Bushie said, “The president is not a prop for some reality show.” Guess that guy didn’t get the memo.
Israel’s Supreme Court allows the expulsion of relatives of militants to Gaza. Palestine says it will refuse to allow them to enter Gaza.
Israel’s Supreme Court allows the expulsion of relatives of militants to Gaza. Palestine says it will refuse to allow them to enter Gaza.
Monday, September 02, 2002
Water is essential for human life
WaPo on how US AID money in Egypt is going to support, not pro-democracy groups, but the courts that put members of those groups in jail, and government-run “trade unions,” and to computerize the toy-telephone Parliament and local governments.
The Earth Summit has produced some stunningly vague agreements, but it has also managed to make some stunningly obvious pronouncements. In the words of a London Times headline, “Water Is Essential for Human Life--It’s Official.”
More on the oil pipeline through Turkey. Fascinating on detailing the relative power of oil companies and nation states.
A former prisoner in Britain, to publicize his demand for compensation for injury from a razor hidden in a mattress, broke back into the prison and went up on its roof for four hours.
There are in fact 210 people named Romeo in Britain.
The Earth Summit has produced some stunningly vague agreements, but it has also managed to make some stunningly obvious pronouncements. In the words of a London Times headline, “Water Is Essential for Human Life--It’s Official.”
More on the oil pipeline through Turkey. Fascinating on detailing the relative power of oil companies and nation states.
A former prisoner in Britain, to publicize his demand for compensation for injury from a razor hidden in a mattress, broke back into the prison and went up on its roof for four hours.
There are in fact 210 people named Romeo in Britain.
Sunday, September 01, 2002
Most politicians turn out to be eunuchs
G’day, Bruce: A town in Australia is up for sale: Bruce. Bruce is 200 miles from Adelaide, population 4 people, 3 dogs.
The famous are not like you and I: Posh Spice and David Beckham have named their second child Romeo; their first was named Brooklyn (I don’t know if that’s a boy’s name or a girl’s name, but it is a future psychiatric patient’s name).
Germany is getting ever less cooperative over the war on Iraq. There is a big push by the US to remind Germany that it is also a hate target. Wait, are you telling me that there are people who don’t like Germany? Whatever for?
Iraq, according to the Times, is going on a “charm offensive” across Europe. It is not often you see “Iraq” and “charm” in the same sentence.
The latest in stupid corporate team-building exercises, like paint-balling and fire-walking, include: making stuff out of Legos, and herding sheep with dogs.
On September 11th, there will no doubt be a minute’s silence. Gee, it was such a big event, I think there should be at least a year’s silence. Anyone with me on this?
The Kentucky prison system has suspended religious services by Satanists, who claim that the Kentucky prison system, and indeed Kentucky itself, is absolute proof of the existence of Satan. Wiccan services continue.
Follow-up: the monkey god has died. Gets big funeral.
Libya has some Al Qaida prisoners. Qadafy has announced he will treat them like dogs, and not give them lawyers or the right to defend themselves. Just like the US, he says.
From the Times:
The famous are not like you and I: Posh Spice and David Beckham have named their second child Romeo; their first was named Brooklyn (I don’t know if that’s a boy’s name or a girl’s name, but it is a future psychiatric patient’s name).
Germany is getting ever less cooperative over the war on Iraq. There is a big push by the US to remind Germany that it is also a hate target. Wait, are you telling me that there are people who don’t like Germany? Whatever for?
Iraq, according to the Times, is going on a “charm offensive” across Europe. It is not often you see “Iraq” and “charm” in the same sentence.
The latest in stupid corporate team-building exercises, like paint-balling and fire-walking, include: making stuff out of Legos, and herding sheep with dogs.
On September 11th, there will no doubt be a minute’s silence. Gee, it was such a big event, I think there should be at least a year’s silence. Anyone with me on this?
The Kentucky prison system has suspended religious services by Satanists, who claim that the Kentucky prison system, and indeed Kentucky itself, is absolute proof of the existence of Satan. Wiccan services continue.
Follow-up: the monkey god has died. Gets big funeral.
Libya has some Al Qaida prisoners. Qadafy has announced he will treat them like dogs, and not give them lawyers or the right to defend themselves. Just like the US, he says.
From the Times:
THE first eunuch to be elected mayor of an Indian city has had to resign after a court ruled that a eunuch was not eligible for a post reserved for women under an affirmative action scheme.
Kamla Jaan, 52, a flamboyant and illiterate character, who has dressed all her life as a woman and refers to herself as feminine (Indians traditionally refer to eunuchs as “she”), shocked the political establishment when she was elected Mayor of Katni three years ago in a landslide victory. ...
She proved an extraordinary and instant success, using her uniquely direct style to forge ahead with long-delayed civic projects, such as sinking new wells, fixing long-disused drains and renovating the local bus station. [That sentence is double entendre heaven] ...
The law in Madhya Pradesh state defines some eunuchs as men and some as women, and the judge backed the claim of petitioners that Ms Jaan was male. [If there were ever a sentence that needed elucidation...] ....
With no families, they are perceived to be less nepotistic and their role as social outcasts has made them less inhibited about speaking their minds.
As one of Ms Jaan’s constituents put it: “Most politicians turn out to be eunuchs, so we thought it was time to elect a real one.” [I suppose it’s easier than electing someone and then castrating them, but not as much fun.]
Last year eunuchs marked their entry into national politics with the launch of a national political party, led by Shabnam Mausi, who is known as Aunt Shabnam.
Friday, August 30, 2002
Please don't harass the monkey god
New California fad: cardio-striptease.
Hyderabad: An Indian court has intervened to save a monkey trapped inside a temple by over-zealous devotees convinced that it is the reincarnation of a monkey god. The court ruled that visiting pilgrims cannot harass the monkey, which is to get medical help.
Winston Churchill’s grandson also says that George W. Bush is no Winston Churchill (he’s an MP and a former minister for the armed forces, so it’s not just a cheap shot, either).
Bush keeps saying he’s “a patient man” (I have doubts about the noun as well as the adjective) and hasn’t decided whether to invade Iraq, and that therefore any criticism whatsoever is “premature.” And yesterday, the State department said of a plan to set up a government in exile that since Bush hadn’t decided on invasion, any talk of a future Iraqi government is “premature.” So, what, decision first, discussion afterwards, like the Queen of Heart’s court? Premature suggests that there’s a maximum time limit for discussing major decisions. A week? Two?
Tuvalu (that’s a country) is suing the US and oil companies for global warming, which should entirely submerge the country within 50 years.
Did you know that the Bible is full of emoticons?
A US district judge rules that Mexico had sovereign immunity when it stole money taken from the wages of bracero workers in the 1940s.
Hyderabad: An Indian court has intervened to save a monkey trapped inside a temple by over-zealous devotees convinced that it is the reincarnation of a monkey god. The court ruled that visiting pilgrims cannot harass the monkey, which is to get medical help.
Winston Churchill’s grandson also says that George W. Bush is no Winston Churchill (he’s an MP and a former minister for the armed forces, so it’s not just a cheap shot, either).
Bush keeps saying he’s “a patient man” (I have doubts about the noun as well as the adjective) and hasn’t decided whether to invade Iraq, and that therefore any criticism whatsoever is “premature.” And yesterday, the State department said of a plan to set up a government in exile that since Bush hadn’t decided on invasion, any talk of a future Iraqi government is “premature.” So, what, decision first, discussion afterwards, like the Queen of Heart’s court? Premature suggests that there’s a maximum time limit for discussing major decisions. A week? Two?
Tuvalu (that’s a country) is suing the US and oil companies for global warming, which should entirely submerge the country within 50 years.
Did you know that the Bible is full of emoticons?
A US district judge rules that Mexico had sovereign immunity when it stole money taken from the wages of bracero workers in the 1940s.
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
Water, water, everywhere
After 6 months in an Australian detention center, a Pakistani seeking asylum is released--and handed a bill for $85 a night for a dorm without a door and a two-hour wait for the showers. Of course, his new visa doesn’t allow him to work and...wait for it...potential immigrants aren’t allowed to have debts to the government.
At the Earth Summit, the Bush admin wrecks another international agreement, this one on clean drinking water, the lack of which kills millions of children each year, but screw ‘em. Let ‘em drink Coke (except in LA schools, where it will soon be illegal--what will they wash down their Ecstacy and Ritalin with?).
The constant references by Bushies to Churchill in the drum beating for war against Iraq is pissing off all the British newspapers, one of which even interviewed, gasp, historians.
Robert Mugabe fires the last white cabinet minister.
A couple of times this month I’ve sent funny stories about the megalomanocracy running Turkmenistan. In today’s paper was the punch line: US to expand military cooperation with Turkmenistan.
If you haven’t seen the study which says that the US has quadrupled its inmate population in twenty years, and that there are now 791,600 black men in jail or prison compared to 603,032 in colleges or universities, seek it out.
At the Earth Summit, the Bush admin wrecks another international agreement, this one on clean drinking water, the lack of which kills millions of children each year, but screw ‘em. Let ‘em drink Coke (except in LA schools, where it will soon be illegal--what will they wash down their Ecstacy and Ritalin with?).
The constant references by Bushies to Churchill in the drum beating for war against Iraq is pissing off all the British newspapers, one of which even interviewed, gasp, historians.
Robert Mugabe fires the last white cabinet minister.
A couple of times this month I’ve sent funny stories about the megalomanocracy running Turkmenistan. In today’s paper was the punch line: US to expand military cooperation with Turkmenistan.
If you haven’t seen the study which says that the US has quadrupled its inmate population in twenty years, and that there are now 791,600 black men in jail or prison compared to 603,032 in colleges or universities, seek it out.
Tuesday, August 27, 2002
Wilmington, Dele. police have been compiling a database of potential criminals. Lacking the services of precogs, they use “jump-out” squads of police who drive around, spot a group of, let’s say, black youths, hanging around a street corner, jump (I’m assuming) out of their cars, round up, search and photograph the non-criminals. The mayor insists that this is constitutional in the alternate universe he lives in.
The Spanish Parliament votes to ask that the Batasuna party of the Basques be banned, and a high court judge simultaneously does just that. This means that electricity and water are cut off to its buildings and it is not allowed to call meetings or street demonstrations, but current elected officials can serve out their terms. The vote was 295 to 10, 29 abstaining. I’m guessing the 295 all belonged to other parties, which is pretty convenient for them. Under a new law, parties which justify terrorism are deemed responsible for it (Batasuna doesn’t quite do that, but nor does it condemn it and blames it on the continuing oppression of the Basques). It ill behooves a former fascist state to proscribe some people from the democratic process, especially on the grounds of thought crime.
In Detroit, a mohel was stopped for DUI on his way to perform a circumcision.
Ronald Reagan’s son says that he now speaks nothing but gibberish. I am refraining from commenting, not on the grounds of taste, which have never stopped me in the past, but on the grounds of it presenting no challenge whatsoever.
Speaking of Alzheimer’s, I’d like to remind everyone that Iraq did not expel the UN inspectors, they withdrew themselves, no matter how many times Rummy says differently. Also, the UN “inspectors” (this came out in January 1999) really were American spies, like Hussein always said they were. They reported to the US, which only passed on to the UN what it felt like passing on. Quoting myself from 2/13/99, “after the US offered the use of its U2 spy planes to Unscom to monitor Iraq, the first thing it did was to refuse to tell when and where photos were taken and deliberately fuzzy them up to disguise the U2’s capabilities.”
Evidently, the Bush admin just did a deal with China, actually negotiated whether the Uighur Muslims should be put on our list of terrorist organizations. This is deeply, deeply cynical.
William Saletan has an interesting piece analyzing Cheney’s pro-war speech. He says that there is a new line of argument based on Iraq’s supposedly being about to acquire nukes, for which Cheney offers no evidence whatsoever, and these nukes would prevent US acting against Iraq if it did something unpleasant in the future. Thus, Saletan says, the forthcoming war is no longer an extension of the war on terrorism, but of the 1st Persian Gulf War. Cheney said that inspections would no longer be of any use, because Iraq is so good at hiding stuff. The Bushies, lacking any evidence, are now playing on the difficulty of proving a negative--it doesn’t even matter whether there’s proof of the assertion of near-nuclear capability, let’s bomb now preemptively. Actually, the existing war on Iraq (7 bombing raids in the last week--it may not be Dresden, but that’s certainly war in my book) in aid of the “no fly” zone follows similar logic: it has nothing to do with protecting Kurds or Iraqis but solely with preserving our right to do whatever we want. In this sense, it is actually an extension of Bush’s Star Wars policy--destroying or neutralizing everybody else’s military capabilities while ours remains intact.
At least the Bushies have finally realized the unattractiveness of “regime change” as a slogan.
From the Village Voice:
One might add $50,000, the amount asked for in a Japanese court by Chinese victims of Japanese germ warfare in the 1940s. For the first time, the court admitted the action, but denied that any compensation was owed.
The Spanish Parliament votes to ask that the Batasuna party of the Basques be banned, and a high court judge simultaneously does just that. This means that electricity and water are cut off to its buildings and it is not allowed to call meetings or street demonstrations, but current elected officials can serve out their terms. The vote was 295 to 10, 29 abstaining. I’m guessing the 295 all belonged to other parties, which is pretty convenient for them. Under a new law, parties which justify terrorism are deemed responsible for it (Batasuna doesn’t quite do that, but nor does it condemn it and blames it on the continuing oppression of the Basques). It ill behooves a former fascist state to proscribe some people from the democratic process, especially on the grounds of thought crime.
In Detroit, a mohel was stopped for DUI on his way to perform a circumcision.
Ronald Reagan’s son says that he now speaks nothing but gibberish. I am refraining from commenting, not on the grounds of taste, which have never stopped me in the past, but on the grounds of it presenting no challenge whatsoever.
Speaking of Alzheimer’s, I’d like to remind everyone that Iraq did not expel the UN inspectors, they withdrew themselves, no matter how many times Rummy says differently. Also, the UN “inspectors” (this came out in January 1999) really were American spies, like Hussein always said they were. They reported to the US, which only passed on to the UN what it felt like passing on. Quoting myself from 2/13/99, “after the US offered the use of its U2 spy planes to Unscom to monitor Iraq, the first thing it did was to refuse to tell when and where photos were taken and deliberately fuzzy them up to disguise the U2’s capabilities.”
Evidently, the Bush admin just did a deal with China, actually negotiated whether the Uighur Muslims should be put on our list of terrorist organizations. This is deeply, deeply cynical.
William Saletan has an interesting piece analyzing Cheney’s pro-war speech. He says that there is a new line of argument based on Iraq’s supposedly being about to acquire nukes, for which Cheney offers no evidence whatsoever, and these nukes would prevent US acting against Iraq if it did something unpleasant in the future. Thus, Saletan says, the forthcoming war is no longer an extension of the war on terrorism, but of the 1st Persian Gulf War. Cheney said that inspections would no longer be of any use, because Iraq is so good at hiding stuff. The Bushies, lacking any evidence, are now playing on the difficulty of proving a negative--it doesn’t even matter whether there’s proof of the assertion of near-nuclear capability, let’s bomb now preemptively. Actually, the existing war on Iraq (7 bombing raids in the last week--it may not be Dresden, but that’s certainly war in my book) in aid of the “no fly” zone follows similar logic: it has nothing to do with protecting Kurds or Iraqis but solely with preserving our right to do whatever we want. In this sense, it is actually an extension of Bush’s Star Wars policy--destroying or neutralizing everybody else’s military capabilities while ours remains intact.
At least the Bushies have finally realized the unattractiveness of “regime change” as a slogan.
From the Village Voice:
The actual price of killing civilians in a place like Afghanistan was cheap. Marc Herold, a New Hampshire professor who tracks civilian casualties, compared U.S. compensation to Italian victims of the tramway accident with Chinese victims in the NATO bombing of its Belgrade embassy, and with Afghan civilian deaths. It comes down to this:
• Italian: $2 million per victim
• Chinese: $150,000 per victim
• Afghan: $100 per victim
One might add $50,000, the amount asked for in a Japanese court by Chinese victims of Japanese germ warfare in the 1940s. For the first time, the court admitted the action, but denied that any compensation was owed.
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Sacrifice the chocolate rabbit
Remember those American soldiers imprisoned in Japan, eventually, for raping children in Okinawa? It seems that under an agreement written during the occupation, the US military provides their food, and they are eating extremely well, pissing off the Japanese yet again.
A website devoted to a campaign to get men to pee sitting down. There are greeting cards...
The new, possibly insane, president of Colombia, wishes to arm peasants to kill guerillas.
The UN World Food Program tells Zambia to suck it up and take GM foods or starve to death. This really does look like some sort of sick campaign to use African starvation to push agri-business’s agenda re Frankenstein Foods.
Speaking of monstrous foods, Britain’s food safety people are threatening to ban haggis (there may be a BSE risk in using sheep intestines).
Bush dismisses Musharaf’s strengthening of military control by saying that he is “tight” with us. WordPerfect’s dictionary defines tight as 3) well sealed against something such as air, 4) stretched so as to leave no slack, 5) allowing little room for maneuver, 11) miserly, 12) drunk. Probably of Germanic origin. Yup.
Speaking of dictators, 97% of Azerbaijan voters voted (sure they did) for various constitutional changes, including letting Aliyev essentially name his successor, his son. This will be the first hereditary ruling family in the former Soviet Union.
Speaking of hereditary ruling families, Bush the Younger’s lawyers insist that he doesn’t need to bother Congress’s pretty little heads before launching an attack on Iraq (a big one, not like the daily bombing raids, presumably), because the 1991 authorization of force is still in effect. By those standards, he could also go to war with North Korea, and god knows what other countries.
A website devoted to a campaign to get men to pee sitting down. There are greeting cards...
The new, possibly insane, president of Colombia, wishes to arm peasants to kill guerillas.
The UN World Food Program tells Zambia to suck it up and take GM foods or starve to death. This really does look like some sort of sick campaign to use African starvation to push agri-business’s agenda re Frankenstein Foods.
Speaking of monstrous foods, Britain’s food safety people are threatening to ban haggis (there may be a BSE risk in using sheep intestines).
Bush dismisses Musharaf’s strengthening of military control by saying that he is “tight” with us. WordPerfect’s dictionary defines tight as 3) well sealed against something such as air, 4) stretched so as to leave no slack, 5) allowing little room for maneuver, 11) miserly, 12) drunk. Probably of Germanic origin. Yup.
Speaking of dictators, 97% of Azerbaijan voters voted (sure they did) for various constitutional changes, including letting Aliyev essentially name his successor, his son. This will be the first hereditary ruling family in the former Soviet Union.
Speaking of hereditary ruling families, Bush the Younger’s lawyers insist that he doesn’t need to bother Congress’s pretty little heads before launching an attack on Iraq (a big one, not like the daily bombing raids, presumably), because the 1991 authorization of force is still in effect. By those standards, he could also go to war with North Korea, and god knows what other countries.
Friday, August 23, 2002
A diamond is (creepy) forever
Rummy Rumsfeld said that Russia’s trade deal with Iraq branded it an ally of terrorist states. Also today, the US said that Musharaf is still an ally, despite his 29 constitutional amendments yesterday. Also, Henry Kissinger was on McNeil-Lehrer today, talking about Iraq, where he has a rather sordid history of his own, which he wasn’t asked about--nor was he asked about the State Dept documents released this week showing that the Argentinian junta was considered an ally and that the US gov didn’t care about human rights abuses in the 1970s (the NY Times today said that Kissinger couldn’t be reached for comment, but there he was on tv as I was reading the paper, not being asked for comment).
The Australian tax authorities went after a convicted drug dealer for income tax on his dealings. So he insisted he had a right to deduct A£80,000 stolen from him during a failed deal. The courts agreed.
China has ended a plan for personalized number plates because the choices were too Western: FBI, 007, etc.
Bush proposed a new policy to prevent forest fires: remove all the trees. Problem solved.
The Australian tax authorities went after a convicted drug dealer for income tax on his dealings. So he insisted he had a right to deduct A£80,000 stolen from him during a failed deal. The courts agreed.
China has ended a plan for personalized number plates because the choices were too Western: FBI, 007, etc.
Bush proposed a new policy to prevent forest fires: remove all the trees. Problem solved.
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Just goober
I guess Bob Barr wasn’t “just gooder” after all.
Evidently Bush likes to make his staff go jogging in Crawford when it’s 100°. If he didn't do it himself, you'd think
it was a fraternity pledge thing. Bush says running helps him clear his mind. Of what?
Rumsfeld says Al Qaida operating inside Iraq, although refuses to offer any proof. “I just know,” he said. Magic 8-Ball, I’m guessing. Iraq confirms presence of Al Qaida, in the part of the country controlled by Rumsfeld’s allies. Admittedly they also claim that Abu Nidal killed himself by shooting himself twenty or thirty times. Well, he was a fanatic you know, they do things like that.
6 weeks before Pakistani elections, Gen./President/Dictator Musharaf declares there will be “a transition from a democratic dictatorship to an elected essence of democracy." Something like that new-car smell that comes out of an aerosol spray can, no doubt. Oh, and he also gives himself the power to dissolve the elected Parliament, and a military-dominated National Security Council the right to overrule it. Oh, and he gave himself another 5 years in office to oversee the transition to democracy.
Speaking of the essence of democracy, Thomas Friedman in the Wed. NY Times comments that the Bushies advocate democracy only in regimes that oppose America, that policy is “to punish its enemies with the threat of democracy and reward its friends with silence on democratization.” This is an old Republican policy, as Friedman does not acknowledge, dating back to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which applied only to slaves in the South, where Lincoln’s writ did not run, and not to those held throughout the Civil War in the North.
The US adds another nation to the list of nations whose leader we’re trying to overthrow: Zimbabwe. Yes, Mugabe is a bastard, but before we start renaming his country after Cecil Rhodes (don’t tell our gov that imperial powers used to be able to just do that, or Kabul will be called Rummy), we might ask how big this sort of thing will go over in Africa.
For a start, they might start asking why the scientist who almost certainly was responsible for the anthrax outbreak was employed by the Pentagon when he used to do bio warfare with the Rhodesian and South African regimes, and was involved in a little anthrax outbreak in Zimbabwe, and whether that might have anything to do with why he hasn’t been arrested yet.
Something I hadn’t heard before: Arizona makes sex offenders on probation take polygraphs.
Evidently Bush likes to make his staff go jogging in Crawford when it’s 100°. If he didn't do it himself, you'd think
it was a fraternity pledge thing. Bush says running helps him clear his mind. Of what?
Rumsfeld says Al Qaida operating inside Iraq, although refuses to offer any proof. “I just know,” he said. Magic 8-Ball, I’m guessing. Iraq confirms presence of Al Qaida, in the part of the country controlled by Rumsfeld’s allies. Admittedly they also claim that Abu Nidal killed himself by shooting himself twenty or thirty times. Well, he was a fanatic you know, they do things like that.
6 weeks before Pakistani elections, Gen./President/Dictator Musharaf declares there will be “a transition from a democratic dictatorship to an elected essence of democracy." Something like that new-car smell that comes out of an aerosol spray can, no doubt. Oh, and he also gives himself the power to dissolve the elected Parliament, and a military-dominated National Security Council the right to overrule it. Oh, and he gave himself another 5 years in office to oversee the transition to democracy.
Speaking of the essence of democracy, Thomas Friedman in the Wed. NY Times comments that the Bushies advocate democracy only in regimes that oppose America, that policy is “to punish its enemies with the threat of democracy and reward its friends with silence on democratization.” This is an old Republican policy, as Friedman does not acknowledge, dating back to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, which applied only to slaves in the South, where Lincoln’s writ did not run, and not to those held throughout the Civil War in the North.
The US adds another nation to the list of nations whose leader we’re trying to overthrow: Zimbabwe. Yes, Mugabe is a bastard, but before we start renaming his country after Cecil Rhodes (don’t tell our gov that imperial powers used to be able to just do that, or Kabul will be called Rummy), we might ask how big this sort of thing will go over in Africa.
For a start, they might start asking why the scientist who almost certainly was responsible for the anthrax outbreak was employed by the Pentagon when he used to do bio warfare with the Rhodesian and South African regimes, and was involved in a little anthrax outbreak in Zimbabwe, and whether that might have anything to do with why he hasn’t been arrested yet.
Something I hadn’t heard before: Arizona makes sex offenders on probation take polygraphs.
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Where they're coming from
Quote in Washington Post from a University of NC student:
Chip Cook, indeed. This is why you should never name babies while smoking pot, as Chip’s brother Cheetos and sister Pringles can attest.
Newsweek story on war crimes in Afghanistan by our illustrious allies, including the suffocation to death of 1,000 POWs. This was to be expected, it’s not like they hadn’t done it before (as I said here on 11/11/01, and the article makes clear). No proof that American forces participated or knew about it, yet, but they were certainly in the area. The Pentagon has been covering this up for 6 months.
New Yorker cartoon: 3 scientists in lab coats. One says, “We’ve just made a big cancer research breakthrough. Have a cigar.”
The US military just completed its largest-ever military exercises, costing $250m. It was rigged to make sure the American side won--so rigged that the retired Marine Lt-Gen who commanded the opposition forces resigned halfway through. The games were supposed to test current Pentagon war-fighting strategies.
The Israel-Palestine security deal has begun; it didn’t explicitly ban Israel assassinating people, so two days in, guess what...
Shoot first, ask questions later: Donald Rumsfeld says we shouldn’t wait for any evidence that Saddam Hussein is up to anything before going to war. "The people who argued have to ask themselves how they are going to feel at that point where another event occurs and it's not a conventional event but an unconventional event, and ask themselves the question, 'Was it right to have wanted additional evidence or additional time, or another U.N. resolution?'" And then he goes on to compare him to Hitler. Of course if we think of the Iran-Iraq war as Germany and Czechoslovakia, that would make Rumsfeld Neville Chamberlain.
"I never really knew what the Koran was or what it said before this," said Chip Cook, 18. "Now I feel like I have a better understanding of where my Muslim friends are coming from."Oh, come on. In the history of the universe no one named Chip ever had a Muslim friend. Indeed, if you wanted to keep a UNC student named Chip (or indeed George W. Bush) out of your hair for a while, you’d ask him to find Muslimia on a map.
Chip Cook, indeed. This is why you should never name babies while smoking pot, as Chip’s brother Cheetos and sister Pringles can attest.
Newsweek story on war crimes in Afghanistan by our illustrious allies, including the suffocation to death of 1,000 POWs. This was to be expected, it’s not like they hadn’t done it before (as I said here on 11/11/01, and the article makes clear). No proof that American forces participated or knew about it, yet, but they were certainly in the area. The Pentagon has been covering this up for 6 months.
New Yorker cartoon: 3 scientists in lab coats. One says, “We’ve just made a big cancer research breakthrough. Have a cigar.”
The US military just completed its largest-ever military exercises, costing $250m. It was rigged to make sure the American side won--so rigged that the retired Marine Lt-Gen who commanded the opposition forces resigned halfway through. The games were supposed to test current Pentagon war-fighting strategies.
The Israel-Palestine security deal has begun; it didn’t explicitly ban Israel assassinating people, so two days in, guess what...
Shoot first, ask questions later: Donald Rumsfeld says we shouldn’t wait for any evidence that Saddam Hussein is up to anything before going to war. "The people who argued have to ask themselves how they are going to feel at that point where another event occurs and it's not a conventional event but an unconventional event, and ask themselves the question, 'Was it right to have wanted additional evidence or additional time, or another U.N. resolution?'" And then he goes on to compare him to Hitler. Of course if we think of the Iran-Iraq war as Germany and Czechoslovakia, that would make Rumsfeld Neville Chamberlain.
Monday, August 19, 2002
A carpet is his soul
Here’s a sentence you don’t see every day, from the Daily Telegraph: “Scientists from Cambridge University who played loud dance music to drugged mice have received an official reprimand from the Home Office.”
The Pope in Poland warns against playing God. Usually, of course, Catholic priests like to play The Strict Headmaster and the Naughty Boy Who Needs to Be Punished.
The 4th Circuit has refused to ban the University of North Carolina holding voluntary classes to discuss the Koran. Had this been successful, UNC students would have tried similar court cases to ban the assignment of all other books, on the grounds that reading just eats into their heavy drinking schedule.
George Bush, enthusiastic: “I came off my ranch today in Crawford. There are not many places that would kind of lure me away, but Iowa State Fair is one. God has blessed Iowa and the citizens of this great state.” Really doesn’t get out much, does he?
The Pope in Poland warns against playing God. Usually, of course, Catholic priests like to play The Strict Headmaster and the Naughty Boy Who Needs to Be Punished.
The 4th Circuit has refused to ban the University of North Carolina holding voluntary classes to discuss the Koran. Had this been successful, UNC students would have tried similar court cases to ban the assignment of all other books, on the grounds that reading just eats into their heavy drinking schedule.
George Bush, enthusiastic: “I came off my ranch today in Crawford. There are not many places that would kind of lure me away, but Iowa State Fair is one. God has blessed Iowa and the citizens of this great state.” Really doesn’t get out much, does he?
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Let the voters decide
Nigeria has to delay its next elections because termites ate the electoral register. Well, it’s original anyway.
Bush has finally responded to criticism of his Iraq obsession by saying that he’ll listen and calling it a “healthy debate” (unless it’s by a foreigner like the German chancellor, in which case they’ll send the ambassador to chew him out, in what some people might consider an attempt to influence the forthcoming German elections) (I mean, entire countries, many of them, have expressed opposition, but it wasn’t until Brent Scowcroft did so that Bush felt he had to respond publicly, which is an interesting set of priorities), and said “But America needs to know, I’ll be making up my mind based upon the latest intelligence and how best to protect our own country plus our friends and allies.” Try to diagram that sentence. So the real underlying message is that Bush might listen, but Bush, alone, will decide (to do exactly what he was going to do all along). Frank Rich, in a good column in the Saturday NY Times that y’all should read--
about Bush’s tendency to put on shows like the Waco summit (which someone on Washington Week said was an insult to dogs and ponies) to give the illusion of activity, says that Richard Perle gave the game away when he said that after all Bush’s bluster (not Perle’s term) on Iraq, their would be a collapse of confidence if he didn’t go ahead. Wasn’t that what Johnson and Nixon kept saying about Vietnam?
And the Sunday New York Times says that the US was providing Iraq battle-field satellite intelligence during the Reagan administration, when they knew it was using chemical weapons. The article makes clear that no one expressed any concern about this whatsoever.
A judge in a poor Ohio county tells prosecutors they can’t go after a death penalty because the cost to the county of paying for everything, including defense lawyers, would be too high.
Gee, and I thought there was no price too high to get in the way of our executing people, like the Mexican citizen just fried in Texas despite having been denied consular access (indeed, the US kept lying to Mexico that he wasn’t a citizen), seriously damaging President Vicente Fox, whose only selling point was that he was supposed to be close to the American government. But hey, if we wouldn’t not execute someone for the pope...
Katherine Harris has a sense of humor after all. Her Republican challenger is suing to have her thrown off the ballot, after she failed to resign as Florida’s secretary of state as required. Her response: “I say, let the voters decide." Now that’s funny!
Bush has finally responded to criticism of his Iraq obsession by saying that he’ll listen and calling it a “healthy debate” (unless it’s by a foreigner like the German chancellor, in which case they’ll send the ambassador to chew him out, in what some people might consider an attempt to influence the forthcoming German elections) (I mean, entire countries, many of them, have expressed opposition, but it wasn’t until Brent Scowcroft did so that Bush felt he had to respond publicly, which is an interesting set of priorities), and said “But America needs to know, I’ll be making up my mind based upon the latest intelligence and how best to protect our own country plus our friends and allies.” Try to diagram that sentence. So the real underlying message is that Bush might listen, but Bush, alone, will decide (to do exactly what he was going to do all along). Frank Rich, in a good column in the Saturday NY Times that y’all should read--
about Bush’s tendency to put on shows like the Waco summit (which someone on Washington Week said was an insult to dogs and ponies) to give the illusion of activity, says that Richard Perle gave the game away when he said that after all Bush’s bluster (not Perle’s term) on Iraq, their would be a collapse of confidence if he didn’t go ahead. Wasn’t that what Johnson and Nixon kept saying about Vietnam?
And the Sunday New York Times says that the US was providing Iraq battle-field satellite intelligence during the Reagan administration, when they knew it was using chemical weapons. The article makes clear that no one expressed any concern about this whatsoever.
A judge in a poor Ohio county tells prosecutors they can’t go after a death penalty because the cost to the county of paying for everything, including defense lawyers, would be too high.
Gee, and I thought there was no price too high to get in the way of our executing people, like the Mexican citizen just fried in Texas despite having been denied consular access (indeed, the US kept lying to Mexico that he wasn’t a citizen), seriously damaging President Vicente Fox, whose only selling point was that he was supposed to be close to the American government. But hey, if we wouldn’t not execute someone for the pope...
Katherine Harris has a sense of humor after all. Her Republican challenger is suing to have her thrown off the ballot, after she failed to resign as Florida’s secretary of state as required. Her response: “I say, let the voters decide." Now that’s funny!
Saturday, August 17, 2002
When it’s bad
Israel finally got one of its human shields (I believe they call it the “neighbor policy”) killed.
Stephen Bochco’s next series will be another series involving NY cops--set in the year 2069. The mind boggles.
www.Vicefund.com. I think this one is serious, a mutual fund that invests in alcohol, tobacco, gambling and firearms. Motto: “When it’s good, it’s very, very good...and when it’s bad, it’s better.”
The California Supreme Court rules that an illegally obtained confession doesn’t invalidate a later one. I.e., the cops can break Miranda and then use the illegal confession as pressure to extract one they can use in court. 5 justices (of 7 voting) saw no problem with that.
You gotta love Jeb Bush. After finally firing the head of child welfare services for, ya know, losing a bunch of kids, he picks a replacement whose name is associated with a Christian loon group report saying, among other things, that married women shouldn’t work, that beating your child to the point of raising welts is the Christian way, and evidently that masturbation should be illegal. Still, as long as they aren’t using them for human shields.
Given the scenario that a US attack on Iraq would result in Iraq launching missiles at Israel and Israel responding, possibly with nukes, who do you think is most strongly behind the US attacking Iraq? Ariel Sharon.
Stephen Bochco’s next series will be another series involving NY cops--set in the year 2069. The mind boggles.
www.Vicefund.com. I think this one is serious, a mutual fund that invests in alcohol, tobacco, gambling and firearms. Motto: “When it’s good, it’s very, very good...and when it’s bad, it’s better.”
The California Supreme Court rules that an illegally obtained confession doesn’t invalidate a later one. I.e., the cops can break Miranda and then use the illegal confession as pressure to extract one they can use in court. 5 justices (of 7 voting) saw no problem with that.
You gotta love Jeb Bush. After finally firing the head of child welfare services for, ya know, losing a bunch of kids, he picks a replacement whose name is associated with a Christian loon group report saying, among other things, that married women shouldn’t work, that beating your child to the point of raising welts is the Christian way, and evidently that masturbation should be illegal. Still, as long as they aren’t using them for human shields.
Given the scenario that a US attack on Iraq would result in Iraq launching missiles at Israel and Israel responding, possibly with nukes, who do you think is most strongly behind the US attacking Iraq? Ariel Sharon.
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Shocked, shocked I say
Noticed gray chest hairs, two of them, for the first time today. So old, so very old, so tired, take nap now.
In 1998, the Pentagon decided to privatize its travel expenses. Personnel would be ordered to take a personal, repeat personal, interest-free credit card with Bank of America--that is, involuntarily forced into a private contract with a corporation-- charge their expenses, and then hope the Pentagon would reimburse them before their credit tanked. Results are exactly what you’d expect. Story in the Village Voice.
sizehimup.co.uk allows you to estimate the size of a man’s penis using a formula based on the size of feet, nose, and hands.
A drug addict who broke into a doctor's surgery near Hanover in Germany was discovered fast asleep the following morning, Expatica.com reports. He had injected himself with a tranquillizer instead of the narcotic he was seeking. A doctor revived him and he was promptly arrested.
The inventor of the modern frisbee has died. In Santa Cruz. He wants his ashes inserted into a number of frisbees, some going to family and friends, others to be sold to benefit a planned frisbee museum.
The Guardian headline says that scientists are “shocked” that weeds have bred with genetically-modified crops, creating, wait for it, super-weeds.
New Yorker cartoon: man and woman in restaurant. He to her: ‘I never said “I love you,” I said “Love ya.” Big difference.’
Bizarrely, the US has accused the EU of “inappropriate” behaviour in trying to get other countries not to do private deals with the US not to send its soldiers to the International Criminal Court. As opposed to the US threats to cut off military aid to any country that doesn’t comply.
In 1998, the Pentagon decided to privatize its travel expenses. Personnel would be ordered to take a personal, repeat personal, interest-free credit card with Bank of America--that is, involuntarily forced into a private contract with a corporation-- charge their expenses, and then hope the Pentagon would reimburse them before their credit tanked. Results are exactly what you’d expect. Story in the Village Voice.
sizehimup.co.uk allows you to estimate the size of a man’s penis using a formula based on the size of feet, nose, and hands.
A drug addict who broke into a doctor's surgery near Hanover in Germany was discovered fast asleep the following morning, Expatica.com reports. He had injected himself with a tranquillizer instead of the narcotic he was seeking. A doctor revived him and he was promptly arrested.
The inventor of the modern frisbee has died. In Santa Cruz. He wants his ashes inserted into a number of frisbees, some going to family and friends, others to be sold to benefit a planned frisbee museum.
The Guardian headline says that scientists are “shocked” that weeds have bred with genetically-modified crops, creating, wait for it, super-weeds.
New Yorker cartoon: man and woman in restaurant. He to her: ‘I never said “I love you,” I said “Love ya.” Big difference.’
Bizarrely, the US has accused the EU of “inappropriate” behaviour in trying to get other countries not to do private deals with the US not to send its soldiers to the International Criminal Court. As opposed to the US threats to cut off military aid to any country that doesn’t comply.
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