Rusted Sky

Finger points to British intelligence as al-Qaeda websites are wiped out - Sunday Times - Times Online

Over the past fortnight Israeli intelligence agents have noticed something distinctly odd happening on the internet. One by one, Al-Qaeda’s affiliated websites have vanished until only a handful remain, write Uzi Mahnaimi and Alex Pell.
Someone has cut the line of communication between the spiritual leaders of international terrorism and their supporters. Since 9/11 the websites have been the main links to disseminate propaganda and information.

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In response to the London bombings, apparently the authorities have decided to drop the sham of political correctness. From This is London...

British Transport Police have been targeting specific ethnic groups for "intelligence-led" stop-and-searches as part of their heightened security measures.

BTP Chief Constable Ian Johnston said that his officers would not "waste time searching old white ladies".

J.

I've been playing "StarScape" by Moonpod for quite a while now, at least in the demo mode. I finally shelled out for an unlock code... and been playing it from 3 to 4 hours a night for about three, four weeks now. Yes, it's been hell on sleep, but it's been worth it.

I've often wondered if I've got an addictive personality, at least for some things. I used to pump dimes and quarters into pinball machines like crazy, from about age 7 on. And we won't even talk about video games - I'd estimate I probably spent enough to buy five or six of the things when they first started coming out in the late '70s. From Pong it was all downhill. (I wonder if there's a Videogames Anonymous?)

But I guess I shouldn't complain. That fascination with video games got me interested in computers, and after getting out of the AF in '84 I was able to stay more or less employed in that field through a couple of recessions. There were a few years where I had to make choices between food or car insurance a couple of times, rent was iffy, and my attempt to be an independent consultant was a mixed success at best (actually, more of a mixed failure) but it was all grist for the mill and I learned a lot over the years.

One thing I still enjoy, however, are the games. Doom & Doom 2 I played for hours - until I started anthropormorphizing the monsters. Storyline be damned, here I was just bopping around and wasting them. Got to feeling guilty, of all things, because I'd just haul out the BFG 5000 on God mode and waste them all...

Quake came out, and although visually it was EXCELLENT, I'd had my fill of gore and guts. Besides, I had recently married and I had other things on my mind.

I'd seen the banner ads for Starscape a number of places and finally downloaded the demo one slow day. One quick play of their 'Instant Action' mode, and I was hooked. After figuring out what to do there, I went to the "Survival" mode, and got my ass kicked roundly.

Finally I decided it was time to spring for the full version - I figured even if the overall plot and play was lame, I'd still enjoyed the demos enough to justify tossing a few bucks their way. Turns out I got more than my money's worth, and it's a good surprise when that happens.

I suppose if I were younger I'd be going more for the overtly violent games, like GTA and such - but to me an old-school 2D shooter with a plot line is preferable. Besides, with the tendency I've got to anthropormorphize the targets after a while, something like GTA would get real difficult real fast. Yeah, I know it's only pixels - but if you wanted to wax philosophical there's not a whole lot of difference between our perception of images on a screen and what we see in real life. Seems to me if you get used to treating people like garbage in a game, then it'd likely bleed over into real life.

If you're looking for a shooter-style game that's a challenge, yet doesn't leave you feeling like you were swimming in blood, I'd really suggest 'Starscape'. Your money - and time - will be well-spent.

As for me - I'm looking forward to getting more than 4 hours sleep a night for a while.... until the NEXT decent game sucks up my snooze time!

J.

New York Daily News - City News - B'klyn pol backs subway profiling

A Brooklyn Assemblyman says the NYPD is handcuffed by political correctness in the war on terrorism - and should profile subway passengers for bag searches.
"The individuals involved look basically like this," Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) said yesterday, brandishing a printout of the FBI's most wanted terrorists - all with Arabic names, most with facial hair, some wearing turbans.
"Why should a policeman have to think twice before examining people of a particular group?" Hikind asked. "They all look a certain way. It's all very nice to be politically correct here, but we're talking about terrorism."

We've been in reaction mode the last three years, lurching from plan to plan. And all of it with an overlaid context that "Profiling = Racism" and "The only fair way to search is search EVERYONE the same" - when it was pretty clear there were common factors in the profiles of the terrorists.

I really don't get the emphatic refusal by some to admit that it makes more sense to concentrate on particular groups when inspecting people at the airport. As a simile, from a hardware standpoint... say you assemble computers. You use network cards from makers X, Y, and Z. You notice that systems with network cards from X and Y have no problems, while you get a 10% failure rate on maker Z's cards.

Do you:

Spend manhours testing each card you have in stock, just to make sure they're all good? (You've got lots of each, and a tight budget for overtime...)

Spend manhours testing random samples of X, Y, and Z?

Spend manhours testing random samples of X and Y and do a 50% test of Z?

Spend manhours testing Z 100%, and monitor returns on X and Y to see if you need to start testing those cards also?

What's the most cost-effective way to stop the bad hardware from going out the door? From a hardware standpoint, it makes sense to discriminate. Not doing so doesn't make you more effective and efficient at getting hardware out the door - or passengers through an airport or subway system.

And the NYPD apparently's not a fan of the idea.

But the NYPD says it isn't in the profiling business - and doesn't think singling out members of an ethnic group would work, anyway. "Racial profiling is illegal, of doubtful effectiveness, and against department policy," the NYPD said in a statement.

Update: Looks like some get it.

2 NY Officials Back Terror Check Profiling

NEW YORK -- Arabs should be targeted for searches on city subways, two elected officials said, contending that the police department has been wasting time with random checks in its effort to prevent terrorism in the transit system.

The city began examining passengers' bags on subways and buses after the second bomb attack in London two weeks ago. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have said several times that officers will not racially profile.

But over the weekend, state Assemblyman Dov Hikind said police should be focusing on those who fit the "terrorist profile."

"They all look a certain way," said Hikind, a Democrat from Brooklyn. "It's all very nice to be politically correct here, but we're talking about terrorism."

And on Tuesday, City Councilman James Oddo, a Republican from Staten Island, said that his emotions relating to the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center attack by Middle Eastern men in hijacked airplanes caused him to publicly declare his support for Hikind's statements.

"The reality is that there is a group of people who want to kill us and destroy our way of life," he said. "Young Arab fundamentalists are the individuals undertaking these acts of terror, and we should keep those facts prominently in our minds and eyes as we attempt to secure our populace."

But the director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Wissam Nasr, said their push for racial profiling is offensive and ignorant because "terror comes in all shapes and sizes, and certainly there's no legislation or system that's going to identify terrorists on the spot."

In response to Hikind's suggestion, the New York Police Department said in a statement that racial profiling is "illegal, of doubtful effectiveness and against department policy."

The Republican mayor reiterated Tuesday that it is against the law and doesn't work.

"I'm against it for fairness reasons, and we're not going to do it," he said.

The New York Civil Liberties Union opposes the searches, saying they violate the Fourth Amendment. The mayor said he hoped the NYCLU would recognize that the city has struck the right balance between security and protecting constitutional rights.

J.

Bringing up the question whether profiling is common sense or racism, I got the following comment:

The right legislation and system, perhaps with the help of State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, can certainly enable law enforcement officers more efficiently and effectively focusing on those who fit the "terrorist profile."

"Male, Arabic, Islamic and young. That covers 99.9% of the head-hackers and suicide bombers."

Since law enforcement officers cannot tell a terrorist's faith by appearance alone, we need to have law to require muslims to wear an armband with a "crescent moon and star" emblem as identification.

Those who are muslims and Arabic will have a RED "crescent moon and star" emblem. All other muslims will use a YELLOW "crescent moon and star" emblem.

We also need to allow law enforcement officers the right to thoroughly search those who elect to wear the abaya, burqa or chador. Some muslim females wear these garments even in hot summer days. We simply cannot allow terrorists to impersonate muslim females in order to fool the eyes of our law enforcement officers. Without legal authority for law enforcement officers to search these suspects, we will never know what's under those head-to-toe garments.

Lastly, we need to educate our citizens to report to the authority anyone whom they knew is muslim but refuse to wear the armband.

We should provide incentives to encourage and reward our citizens to report these potential sleeper agents, and the criminals who refuse to wear the armband should be interrogated for intelligence through the "extraordinary rendition" procedure.

I'm confident that at least Jerry will agree with the suggestions and system above can greatly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness for law enforcement officers to identify terrorists on the spot.

Posted by: Ernhardt Bressler at August 3, 2005 07:10 AM

I'm not.

It's unfortunate that any attempt to even discuss the possibility of NOT doing a 100% search of all people is usually met with such silliness, or even outright hostility. It really makes rational discourse difficult.

Which I suppose is really the point, isn't it? BTW, the domain Mr. Bressler's apparently posting from, benadorassociates.com, would seem to be an anti-militant Islamist site, judging from articles like this one...

BEARDS AND SCARVES AREN'T MUSLIM. THEY'RE SIMPLY ADVERTS FOR AL-QAEDA - Amir Taheri - Benador Associates

Because from what I see on that site, I'm in agreement with them.

J.

There's four parts to this so far - and it's worth your time. Here's some quick samples...

ShrinkWrapped: PC & Defects in Reality Testing: An Introduction

The Global War against Islamic Fascism is a many front war, being fought in such venues as Iraq, London, Rome, New York, Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, and in the media, in academia, and in the precincts of the Democratic Party. Political Correctness severely damages the West's ability to adequately prosecute, and ultimately to win the war with a minimum of death and destruction.

ShrinkWrapped: PC & Defects in Reality Testing: Part I

In order to fully understand how the ideology of political correctness traumatically interferes with the ability to adequately assess and describe reality, it is necessary to have some understanding of how it is that we learn to interpret the information pouring into our senses and create an understandable and predictable picture of reality.

Political Correctness has its roots in Post-Modernism and Deconstruction. I am hardly an expert in this area but it seems that the Deconstructionists took a small piece of reality, that all of us construct our sense of reality through our own subjectivity, and made it the primary determinant of reality, ie since we are all subjective, there can be no such thing as objective reality. In other words, the world of consensus reality is a construct and if we change how we view the world, we will change the construct.[Among the other evil offspring of this philosophy, we would have to include moral relativism and other (rationalized) excuses for inaction in the face of evil.]

The idea of a mutable sense of reality was especially attractive to the left, who desperately wanted to change the world but were having difficulty everywhere they were in control in actually effecting their Utopian programs and perfecting their subjects.

Howard S. Schwartz, author of The Revolt of the Primitive: An Inquiry Into the Roots of Political Correctness whose work I have referred to in the past (Cookie Monster, PC, and the Fall of Western Civilization), describes a typical encounter between an Academic and the Politically Correct Academy. He describes making a presentation which began with an overview of Freud's concept of the Oedipus complex. In Howard's words:

(During the presentation) a woman in the audience, who happened to be the chair of the psychology department at the time, had what can only be called a fit. Without addressing herself to anything I was saying in particular,a and without any apparent attempt to control her rage, she said that Freud was a sexist and a misogynist, and went on to condemn the entire psychoanalytic enterprise, which she said was "shot through" with sexism and racism.

He describes his dawning awareness that she was deplorably lacking in any real knowledge of Freud's work, or of the further development of his theories since his time, and was struck by her tome which conveyed a sense of "absolute authority". This is not unusual in proponents of the PC mind state; often their certainly is in inverse proportion to their actual knowledge. Even more striking to Schwartz was that the audience, sagely nodding their heads in agreement, seemed to accept the interrogation as if he were the one who had transgressed. The university, which should have as its highest calling the open discussion of ideas had become something else. Again in his words:

How did ideas representing such ignorance not only arise in a university setting,, but also come to be dominant within it, and to dominate it so powerfully that it has become acceptable to meet alternative ideas with rage and disdain.?

J.

PayPal's got a rundown on identity protection measures you can take. I'm down to only about 8 or 9 phishers a week now, folks figuring I'm stupid enough to click on a link inside their email are apparently starting to wise up. Heaven knows I've been forwarding enough emails to the security departments of the businesses they're trying to spoof.

PayPal - Identity Protection Resources

J.

Over at Baen Books, you might want to check out Code Three. Personally, I don't quite see it, but it's a fun read anyway.

Enjoy!

J.

Brit Hume interviewed Democratic State Assemblyman Dov Hikind of Brooklyn. The transcript is interesting, considering the attitudes normally shown by Democrats. I predict this gent will get no support from the Democratic Party come the next elections. Which is a shame - because he's actually observing what's going on, and using common sense and thinking about those things he's seen in a way quite beyond what you'd normally expect from someone with a (D) after their name.

FOXNews.com - Special Report w/ Brit Hume - Interview - The Realities of Racial Profiling

HIKIND: Those involved in Madrid, those involved July 7 in London, and those who attempted to kill the people of London on July 21, if you look at the entire group, it is so obvious that this group, they have certain things in common. They are young, they are Muslim, they are of Middle Eastern or South Asian background.

HUME: They’re men.

HIKIND: They’re men. They’re young men. To simply avoid this fact in trying to fight the War on Terrorism and trying to avoid another catastrophe is nuts. It doesn’t make sense.

I’m not saying that, if 15 Muslim men come into a subway station, search all of them. Maybe search none of them, if the police officer feels there’s no need. But the police officer should not be concerned about searching every single one of them if that is what the police officer feels is necessary.

...

HUME:If we’re looking for dark-skinned men of what we imagine to be Middle Eastern descent, that we think may be Muslims, are we not likely, if we place the amount of judgment you seem prepared to take in the hands of individual police officers, to end up with a lot of people who are hassled on the way to work, who will end up feeling like they’re simply going to work while black or trying to travel while black?

HIKIND: Brit, we have no choice. You know, it’s very real out there, in terms of those who want to create havoc in our city, in our country. I have a son-in-law who is of Iranian descent. When he comes to an airport, especially with his name, he gets a lot more questions, a lot more checking of him. People in my community...

HUME: How does he feel about that?

HIKIND: Well, you know, it’s not pleasant. But I think there’s an understanding that we live in a world today — I would love to see the Muslim community and other communities stand with me side-by-side and say that they understand that these are difficult times, that there is no intention of directing anything against them, but the reality we cannot escape.

We can’t escape the profile, the profile of those who committed the dastardly acts of September 11. And looking at all the pictures of all the young men who committed the acts. You know, we need to act seriously.

Yes, it's that easy when you say you can't stop someone based on a profile.

J.

Hmmm. Doesn't look like it at all.

Today in Investor's Business Daily stock analysis and business news

Here's the gist, according to The New York Sun — which is giving the scandal the coverage it deserves — and a few others, mostly bloggers and columnists, who are providing a public service:

New York City's Department of Investigation is looking into charges that $875,000 from a Bronx nonprofit group and an affiliate whose budgets are generously stuffed with local, state and federal grants was inappropriately used to fund Air America, the left's counterattack on the colossal success of conservative talk radio.

The two groups — the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club and Pathways for Youth — said they thought they were making a loan to the network. But when Evan Montvel Cohen was working as both chairman of Air America and director of development for Gloria Wise, some red flags should have been raised.

Jeannette Graves, president of Gloria Wise's executive committee, has said that without her authorization or knowledge, Cohen siphoned $613,000 from the organization to himself and Air America. Cohen also allegedly used money from the groups for personal medical care.

While this mess is being sorted out, the city has suspended its ties with Gloria Wise and Pathways. That means money intended for poor minority children and Alzheimer's victims was instead used to make sure the financially tanking and ratings-troubled Air America could keep blathering.

Public funds used to prop up a business! Just the kind of scandal that left-leaning media would die for. Yet for some reason they're giving this one a pass.

Is it because there are no mean ol' conservatives to blame?

But this bit of news - that's damn unconsionable. You know if this were a Republican pulling the same sort of stuff that there'd be an immediate and massive outcry from the left. Instead, it looks like this was covered up as much as possible.

But that there's not indicates two things to me.

1. There's two decided standards on financial reporting when it comes embezzlement and theft, and it's decided on political lines.

2. That a media outlet which is supposedly dedicated to what they see as honest and accurate reporting seem to be rather ethically challenged when it comes to their own honesty and integrity.

J.

Top 10 Web fads - CNET.com

Enjoy!

J.

I suppose it's inevitable - you know you've hit old fartdom when you're thinking things are going just too damn fast these days. The pacing of action on TV shows, the auction-like speed of folks talking in commercials, the near-frantic movement in kid's cartoons (which we watch a fair number of) - you wonder if things have always been like that or whether things really ARE speeding up.

Well, it would appear they are.

There's a site that has a lot (and I mean a LOT) of old time radio shows for sale. At OTRCat, they've got a WIDE selection of programs. I've gotten some in the past (old radio SF programs like X Minus 1, and the Australian series "Journey into Space" and one thing I'm noticing is that the pacing of the radio shows back then was a whole lot slower.

And television was slower back in the '50s, too. I recently got through Netflix the "Tomorrowland: Disney in Space and Beyond" dvd, and the pacing of the shows seemed darn near glacial compared to today's programming.

The world speeds up. Guess we're just going to have to hang on for the ride.

J.

And boy, there's a bunch of them. For instance, did you know that phone connections are TRIPLE the forcast in '04? And there's 5 times more vehicle traffic now than three years ago?

Where?

Iraq.

Take a look at the Brookings report. It's interesting.

J.

Amidst the other things going on this weekend. (Note to self: When going to wedding, DO NOT forget your camera.) And O predit this movie, because (A) it has Russians, and (B) the sub was deep underwater and (C) it had a happy ending - will be a movie within a year. And I hope the guys involved will get residuals.

CNN.com - Crew safe after mini-sub rescue - Aug 7, 2005

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- The seven-man crew of a trapped Russian mini-submarine are back in port after a three-day ordeal at the bottom of the Pacific with dwindling oxygen.
Six of the seamen were taken to hospital for observation in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky on the eastern coast of the Pacific peninsula of Kamchatka after arriving on board a rescue ship.
The other man remained on board but it was not immediately clear why, the Associated Press reported.

BTW - Many thanks to the Pittsburg Airport (from whence I'm blogging this) for their free WiFi access. Atlanta gets no points - they charge for theirs.

J.

News - Bush says tax cuts responsible for growing economy

Bush crowed about the strength of the U.S. economy on Saturday and credited his hotly debated tax cuts for the growth.

Bush was upbeat in his weekly radio address a day after the Labor Department reported the U.S. economy added 207,000 jobs last month, a stronger-than-expected gain.

"Recent economic reports show that our economy is growing faster than any other major industrialized nation," he said from his ranch in central Texas.

In my own experience, watching the country over the last 25-30 years, increasing taxes usually stagnates the economy. When that occurs, there's two ways to do things. Raise taxes to fund social programs for the folks hurt by the stagnated economy, or you can drop taxes and wait for things to recover.

The short version follows: Carter raised taxes following a recession after oil prices went up. The recession deepened. Reagan dropped taxes when he got into office, and tax revenue doubled in less than ten years. There was a slight recession under Bush 1, the media trumpeted it as being the WORST recession EVER, almost WORSE than the GREAT DEPRESSION, and Bush lost. In retrospect it was a slight pullback before the '90s, and was already easing before the elections when Clinton promised lower taxes and better everything... and got the job. He immediately raised taxes, leaving Enron-sized loopholes. But the '90s boom that was fueled by the '80s tax break and investments in research paid off - and Clinton luckily had the sense to keep fiddling after his initial increase to a minimum. However, economically things were decidedly slowing down as his tenure in office was ending.

Bush got into office, and started campaigning for tax cuts to boost the economy. You don't have to go far to find the precedents - even Kennedy pushed a tax cut through in the '60s, and watched revenue increase. We got the tax cut, then 9/11 hit and the economy went downhill. A couple of rebates later, we're not doing too bad economy-wise even though we're in a war and running a deficit.

Now Bush is talking about making the tax cuts permanent.

Okay, let's look at two things here. Or, rather, two well know, well documented, and verifiable correlations.

1. When taxes are raised, the economy stagnates.

2. When taxes are lowered, the economy grows and revenue is increased.

Needless to say, I'm not a fan of raising taxes. You can shear a sheep many times - but you can only skin him once.

So when I first heard about Americans for Fair Tax, I was intrigued enough to take a look. And take another look. Then a third, because it seems too simple.

Here it is in a nutshell, all the FAQs folks have. Apparently there's a good bit of interest in government on this. I can see why - this has the advantage of cutting payroll and SS taxes (to zero) and implementing a retail sales tax that would fund it all.

I can hear the screams now "What about fairness?" I'll be blunt - I don't believe in 'fair' when it comes to taxes. The usual call for 'fairness' means that you're trying to grab something from someone that you don't think deserves it. Saying someone or some group should pay 'their fair share in taxes' is an inherently dishonest semantic device, implying on the one hand that the group you're trying to steal from are soulless bastards taking the food out of the mouths of starving children, and on the other that it's justifable to take their money to fund what you think is necessary.

Our tax system is hideously complex, taking an incredible amount of money and effort to stay in compliance at either the personal or business level. Unless you're filing a 1040A or 1040EZ, you're going to spend a fair amount of time just trying to get everything together, much less figure out what goes where as far as deductions go. And if you're using tax prep software - well, you stand a better chance of getting everything right using THAT than you would if you called the IRS for advice.

We won't even talk about the problems with business accounting and taxkeeping.

Go take a look at the Fair Tax site, and their FAQ. It looks a lot more sensible than what we're putting up with now.

(Update - I changed the link above to the Fairtax site - looks like the FlatTax organization has morphed into or merged with Fairtax.)

J.

There's a certain school of thought that nuclear weapons are always and completely and totally evil and should never be used under any circumstances. Having been to the Land of Giant Mushrooms and Gopher Holes (Check out Terraserver at -115.92394 36.80345) I am understanding of that feeling - but I don't agree with it.

(The Laughing Wolf: Food For Thought: A Personal Story Of Hiroshima

Despite revisionism, the intel of the day suggested a very strong defense of the home islands, with a million or more casualties to take them. From things that have come out later, portions of that defense were even more fanatical than originally estimated. Some portions may have fallen easily, but others most certainly would not have.

A million or so Fosters, each affecting a much larger number of others: wives, children, parents, uncles, aunts, friends, and co-workers. No, we made no mistake dropping the bomb, for it spared millions. If the revisionists were correct in all their claims, then surrender would have come immediately, not after a second bomb. The only mistake we made was not in rubbing the collected noses of Japan into their excesses as we did that of the Germans. For that misguided "kindness" has allowed a much worse revisionism to flourish, and the truth of medical experiments to make Mengele blush, the rape of Nanking, and so much more to be buried and denied.

Yes, many died when The Bomb fell, yet how many more would have died and suffered had it not? Hindsight is always 20-20, and no matter the public face when you make a decision like that questions will find you in the night. I speak not for those who made the decision to drop, for that belongs to them. I have engaged in debates, discussions, and more, and simply offer up the idea that had they not done so, might worse things have come later because no one saw the reality of what happened when they were used? Ignorance of consequences rarely leads to bliss.

The casualty count for the Allies would have been ghastly, between 500k and 1 mil wounded, 200-300k dead - with 3 to 5 times as many Japanese casualties. And the Japanese weren't just sitting back and waiting - they were getting prepped for the invasion themselves. (Take a look at Transcript of "OPERATION DOWNFALL [US invasion of Japan]:? US PLANS AND JAPANESE COUNTER-MEASURES" by D. M. Giangreco, US Army Command and General Staff College.) Things would have gotten damned messy.

Were the bombs justified? I'd say yes. They saved a hell of a lot of both Japanese and Allied lives - and that's a good thing in my book.

J.

In retrospect, it's perfectly logical. Hope it's well-padded, though.

XAct Communication XS043 Sirius Satellite Radio Outdoor Wearable Kit - Styled for Life

J.

Ultraquiet No More is a Submariner's blog. Enjoy...

J.

Johann Hari - Archive

So to multiculturalists, we have to ask: which Muslim culture do you want to preserve? The jilbab-wearing culture of Shabinah and the mullahs, or the culture of the hundreds of Muslim girls who curse them? All immigrant communities are divided and diverse; it is a form of soft racism to assume they have One Culture that should be respected at all costs.

But multiculturalism binds the hands of those who want cultural change in immigrant communities by demanding tolerance and respect for reactionary traditions. At a time when there is a battle within British Islam whose outcome will affect us all, is it wise to continue like this?

One woman decided she wanted to wear a jilbab to her school. She fought for that right - and in turn that garment was forced onto hundreds of other young women by their peer group.

Somehow, I don't think this is how the whole multicultural thing was supposed to work.

J.

Chrenkoff has "Good News From Afghanistan #15" up.

Enjoy!

J.

We can only hope.

boortz.com: Nealz Nuze Today's Nuze

The hunger for some meaningful tax reform it amazing. The American people seem to fully realize that our present tax system is just as much a tool for class warfare and vote buying as it is a tool for raising the funds needed for the operation of the essential functions of the federal government. As I told the crowd last night, and as I have been saying on the air day ad nauseum, the FairTax plan goes nowhere if you don't get proactive ... very proactive. About 230 years, in the winter of 1776, we had patriot soldiers marching on frozen ground with bare feet to fight a seemingly impossible fight against the British for independence. They were easy to track because their torn feet left a bloody trail on the frozen ground. This revolution – this tax revolution – can be won far more easily. Read the book, or go to FairTax.org to familiarize yourself with the FairTax plan. Then start the phone calls and faxes. Get the emails flowing. Spread the word.

Plus, I like the idea of the prebates. Get all your paycheck, plus $200 a month from the government? I could live with that. (grin)

J.

Damn.

The Jawa Report Archives

Suicide Bomber Blows Up Bus in China: Government Covers Up.

The motive for Monday's attack is unclear, but it follows criticism by medical professionals that the costs of healthcare have risen beyond the means of many people living in rural areas.

There were more than a thousand reported bombings last year.

Most go unreported by the country's tightly-controlled state media.

Yeah. Health care. I'm sure they're all about health care.

You've got to hand it to the Chinese, though. When they control the media, they CONTROL the media. That these incidents haven't leaked out before now shows the stranglehold the government still holds, and how little the western media seems to care.

J.

Donklephant - Blog Archive - Sitzkrieg’s End

Good essay. Good comments.

(Sample of one comment - "Rather than focusing 20/20 hindsight on the events of 2002-4, we should be focusing that hindsight on the events of 1938-41, and learning from history. I believe our President and his adminstration - for all their real warts and the ones the media have imagined - have done this. That’s why I support them. And that’s why I think we need to quit carping about cargo containers, grousing over wartime minutiae like Gitmo and Abu Ghraib, second-guessing military decisions without all the facts and whining on a daily basis about the lowest casualty rate in any significant armed conflict of this or any other century. Call me a flagwaver if you like, but you don’t win a war by opening your every strategy and tactic to close public scrutiny. And if you insist on that, I submit that you’re going to be a very frustrated wartime spectator."

Good Godwin, what are you waiting for - an engraved invitation? Click the link, go read it!

J.

Michael Yon : Online Magazine: Jungle Law

Michael Yon is this decade's Ernie Pyle. THIS is journalism.

J.

Over on Janegalt.net/Assymetrical Information there's a post about a site called "Truth and Lies". Predictably, it's a rather snarky site, and after a brief persual I feel no obligation to bother putting out their URL. But that got me to thinking about sites that self-label as "Truth".

Now, I tend to look on any site with "TRUTH" in it's title as being inherently suspicious in the first place.

"Truth" according to whom?

Objective "Truth"? Subjective "Truth"? Verifiable "Truth"? Binary "Truth", all one or the other, or gray area "Truth", with shadings of "Truth"?

"Truth" with a limited subset of facts taken into account? Or "Truth" with everything tossed into the mix and boiled for a few days so concentrated "Truth" rises to the top while condensed "Lies" sink to the bottom?

Is it "Truth" which must be forced on unbelievers? "Truth" which must silence all other opinions and allows no dissent? "Truth" which must be presented in a 'particular' way so the reader will get the 'proper' opinion inculated into their minds?

Is it "Truth" which has to be spun, or twisted, or selectively edited? Is it "Truth" with a slant, a bias, a leaning toward a particular point of view that's inherently the only proper one for someone believing the "Truth"?

If you call it "Truth", does that mean all other viewpoints are lies? Are your "Truths" self-evident and can stand on their own, or do they need a shoring of selectively culled and out-of-context quotes and remarks? Does the "Truth" stand up to attacks on it's own? Is it internally self-consistent, and congruent with objective reality?

Does it have to be labeled as "Truth" in the first place?

If I'm looking for "Truth", I'll take what I find for "Truth" from
these guys. I KNOW what to expect from THEIR version of the "Truth". But I don't search for someone to tell me what to think - I search for information, and decide for myself what the "Truth" is. If you present 5 samples of "Truth", and I know one is immediately "False" but don't know about the others, I'm going to be suspicious about the quality of "Truth" used to craft the other four. Sorry - but that's the way it is.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

J.

My Way News

OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - An Oklahoma man was taken into custody after he tried to carry a bomb on board an airplane on Wednesday in Oklahoma City, an FBI spokesman said.

Charles Alfred Dreyling Jr., 24, was detained on Wednesday morning after a security screener using an X-ray machine saw the device in his luggage as he tried to board a flight to Philadelphia at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City.

"Although the investigation is in its initial stages we have found no apparent connection to any type of terrorist activity or group," FBI spokesman Gary Johnson said.

Johnson said the screener saw an "improvised explosive device" in Dreyling's carry-on luggage.Kind of sparse on details on this one. Over at the Guardian the following is found...

Dreyling, 24, was going through the security checkpoint at Will Rogers World Airport on Wednesday when a Transportation Security Administration employee noticed something suspicious in his bag on the X-ray machine, Johnson said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bob Troester described the device as a carbon-dioxide cartridge with a black-powder detonator.

But Dreyling's landlord, former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys, said he had created a ``glorified firecracker'' and forgot it was in his luggage.

``I know Charlie Dreyling quite well,'' Humphreys said. ``I appreciate what the authorities are doing making our airlines safe. I have every confidence that they'll find out Charlie Dreyling is a fine young man and no terrorist.''

I feel better now. Apparently this has been determined to not be an attempted bombing. I think it's funny the best description of the bomb comes from a British paper...

It just goes to show - don't try to make your own fireworks, kids. And for pity's sake, don't take them on the damn plane!

J.

FanDeath.net

Luckily, if you're not in South Korea, you're safe. Otherwise, everyone in our house would have expired years ago...

J.

Hmmm. Here I thought it was.

TCS: Tech Central Station - Pape-al Fallibility: It's Not All About Us

Islamists have killed thousands of Westerners over the past couple of years -- thousands in New York City alone. But they have killed far more of their own fellow Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, and too many other places to list. The Terror War, or whatever we ought to call it, is not about us. It's a war waged by totalitarian Islamists against the rest of the world. We aren't targets because of what we do or even because of who we are. We are targets because we are not them. They hate everybody and we're part of "everybody."

So many Westerners, liberal and conservative alike, are only interested in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world at the points of inter-civilizational contact, when and where its problems intersect with us and become our problems. It's understandable, but it's blinkered. Islamism exists independently of the West, not merely in reaction to it, and it would continue to exist if America and the rest of the West did not. It's not all about us.

(He then goes on to detail a LOT of stuff which doesn't seem to get much prominence, because it contradicts the memes the media are trying to spread. He finished with...)

Robert Pape thinks we should withdraw from the region completely and "secure our interests in oil," as he put it, from a distance. If we take his advice we won't end the threat from our enemies. We'll give them military victories for free. And we'll throw our liberal Muslim friends to the Islamist wolf. It's the most disgraceful and despicable thing we could possibly do, not to mention one of the dumbest. Empowered liberal-democratic Muslims with guns will defeat the Islamists in the end. We can't do it without them, and they can't do it if they're languishing in mass graves and dungeons.

And this is so hard to understand, because ... ?

J.

Aw, crap. Not again...

Didn't we give up this passive-agressive nuclear shit back when the USSR fell?

Pakistan and India both have nukes. Both realize they've got a shitload to lose if they start tossing them. China and Taiwan both have nukes - again, no winner. NK MAY have nukes - yet they know that if they try the nuclear option that little fat bastard of a dictator'll be toast in short order.

Now Iran's saying they'll pursue nukes, and Bush is saying war's the last resort. Okay - but I'll be honest with you... in 10 years, if the mullahs don't piss off the population totally and end up as lampost decorations we'll be looking at a nuclear-armed Iran. And if they feel froggy and toss a nuke at Israel - well, I don't think the Israelies are going to be at all reluctant to throw a few in the direction of Iran.

J.

Soon the poor bastard won't have any support at all from the people he's been killing.

Iraqi Sunnis Battle To Defend Shiites

BAGHDAD, Aug. 14 -- Rising up against insurgent leader Abu Musab Zarqawi, Iraqi Sunni Muslims in Ramadi fought with grenade launchers and automatic weapons Saturday to defend their Shiite neighbors against a bid to drive them from the western city, Sunni leaders and Shiite residents said. The fighting came as the U.S. military announced the deaths of six American soldiers.

Dozens of Sunni members of the Dulaimi tribe established cordons around Shiite homes, and Sunni men battled followers of Zarqawi, a Jordanian, for an hour Saturday morning. The clashes killed five of Zarqawi's guerrillas and two tribal fighters, residents and hospital workers said. Zarqawi loyalists pulled out of two contested neighborhoods in pickup trucks stripped of license plates, witnesses said.

"We have had enough of his nonsense," said Sheik Ahmad Khanjar, leader of the Albu Ali clan, referring to Zarqawi. "We don't accept that a non-Iraqi should try to enforce his control over Iraqis, regardless of their sect -- whether Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs or Kurds.''

Funny how stuff like this never hits CNN headline news...

J.

But funny... Nerd Phone Sex With Paris Hilton => Funny Videos @ Lemonzoo.com

D&D, Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR, Dr. Who - there's something for everyone! LOL...

Enjoy...

J.

Yet Another Journal has found out the pleasures of Sirius Satellite Radio. They, and XM provide a satellite radio service for your car. It's quite affordable, and both cover pretty much any genre you could want. (Take a look at the channel listing here. If you spend more than 30 minutes a day in the car, you ought to consider getting one or the other. It's the best auto accessory you can buy.

J.

Pilot not in his seat, copilot slumped over, and the F-16 pilot who intercepted said he could see emergency oxygen masks dangling in the cabin...

Hypoxia strikes again, I think.

It's actually more common than you might realize. The pilots have an emergency oxygen system (no walkaround bottles evident in the 737 systems sites I've found so far except for a Draeger smoke hood...) and if it was empty and the airco quit pressurizing the cabin (And this plane had a couple of incidents where that happened) then there's a warning horn that goes off at the 10,000 ft level.

There's also a warning horn cutoff, btw.

The pilots (and the maintenance crew) would have to ignore one or two pressure gauges to for this plane to fly with an empty emergency oxygen system. I think this is pretty unlikely.

However, for C-130s there was a shutoff valve downstream of the LOX converter, so maintenance could shut off oxygen pressure to the regulators which supplied oxygen to the masks. If there was a cutoff valve downstream from the pressure indicator, that could be the point of failure. From pictures I've found, there was no pressure gauge on the regulators for the emergency masks in the cockpit, and the regulator's default condition is to provide a mix of air and oxygen on demand, with the percentage of oxygen increasing the higher the cabin altitude.

So here's what I think happened. There may be a valve downstream from the pressure indicator for the system. The cabin pressure warning alarm went off at 10k cabin altitude. (I don't know when their airco system packed it in, we'll figure about 25,000 feet.) Per their established practice, they put on the masks and set them to normal (not emergency 100% oxygen) and didn't notice there's no oxygen flowing (since the regulators mix air and oxygen proportionally until above about 20-25k feet cabin altitude). They turn off the horn, start working on the problem. Cabin altitude continues to rise.

Hypoxia sets in slowly, and they focus on the problem and forget to check the cabin altitude. Get-home-itis and Keepis-Schedulitis set in. All they have to do is reset the outflow valve on the aircondition system and the cabin will repressurize. The passenger masks drop at 14,000 feet, but there's no oxygen through them since the cockpit and passenger masks are supplied from the same system.

The pilots start to lose what little focus they've maintained. Hypoxia is sneaky... they may well have just closed their eyes to rest them a moment. They've got on oxygen masks, right? So they'll be fine. They likely passed out before they realize they needed to descend, even though it'd throw them off schedule. (Get-home-itis and Keepus-Schedulis has killed hundreds of pilots.)

Now, it could be the pilot realized what happened and went for the Draeger smoke hood and the oxygen supply in that, but waited a few seconds too long and passed out trying to get to it. Why would he do that instead of putting the plane into a descent? Well, when you're hypoxic you most emphatically are NOT thinking clearly. He likely thought... "Oxygen. Gotta get some oxygen" and went for the mask.

From there, with the plane on autopilot, it was just a matter of time till something really hard gets in the way of the plane.

That's the most likely failure, I think. Time will tell what the actual cause was. Damn bad thing, no matter what the cause.

J.

Honestly, I don't know what to say. I'm torn between sympathy for her grief and puzzlement. As a parent, no one wants to think of their child dying - it's just ingrained in us that we protect them any way we can.

But there's also a point where it's time to let go and let the child make their own decision - she's acting like her son (who was a volunteer - the draft went away a long time ago) didn't have a clue before he joined up that the Army was anything more than a glorified jobs program.

Sure, it's a great educational opportunity and a chance to see the world. But the subtext is there (and always has been) that if necessary you'll be going into harm's way. And there's a reason why there's Serviceman's Group Life Insurance - to provide for your family if you die. ($250,000 - last I checked. Might be higher now...) I don't know if she was the main beneficiary or not - but it's a good bet he left her a good bit.

Dr. Sanity has an interesting post up on all this. Portions follow:

Let me start by saying that I passionately support the rights of the individual over the rights of the state. When it comes to choosing between them, I almost always will go with "the needs of the one" as opposed to the "needs of the many" (to borrow a theme from Star Trek).

Yet, I am deeply troubled by the press's attitude that our foreign policy as a nation should be held hostage to grief stricken mothers, fathers, family and miscellaneously bereaved individuals.

Anyone's death diminishes me, as the poem says, and death--while something we all must face in time--is always a tragedy when it occurs. The death of a loved one is particularly difficult to handle, and grief is a multilayered and deeply personal journey. Professionally I deal with the emotional after-effects of death and dying all the time. I work closely with people who must grapple with despair and lonliness after their son or daughter, mother or father, husband or wife has died. Some deal with it better than others; and every journey is unique.

...

I may be a Libertarian, but I am not an anarchist. There are reasons for people to come together into a nation for that common defense and to constuct a government in order to provide for that defense. Our national foreign policy must be made using the same dispassionate analysis of facts and data, combined with an assessment of the "common good". That combined focus must be grounded in a logical understanding of both short and long-term tactics within an overal strategy and an appreciation of the costs (whether in dollars or lives) as well as the potential benefits. Of course there must be debate and discussion of both tactics and strategy, as well as whatexactly and precisely is in our best interest as a group of people united in freedom and democracy.

What we do not need is a public flogging of our elected officials by the bereaved and mourning families of 9/11; or by the histrionic mothers of soldiers who made their own choices to be in the military; by the angry fathers who are deeply distressed that their sons did not politically agree with them and chose to go into danger. Our national policies are far too important to be held hostage by the emotions of any individuals, let alone those who have an emotional axe to grind.

...

Crucial decisions and tactical adjustments can be made by a death or deaths in a war; sometimes even the overall strategy can be fine-tuned, or even abandoned if necessary when looked at in the spirit of determining what our national and security interests demand. But none of these actions can or should be made simply because of grief; or anger; or resentment; or fear.

Let's face the truth: that the purpose of maintaining an army/navy/air force is to provide for the common defense. Those individuals who CHOOSE to join the military do so (one hopes) with a full awareness of what their job description entails in war, as well as in peacetime. Their death or injury while performing a dangerous, but crucial job on our behalf, should make all of us at home, safe, desperately grateful that they chose to serve their country in this manner. How does it help us to say that there is nothing worth sacrifice; nothing that is worth fighting for?

That being said, if it had come to pass that I'd died on active duty or while in the active Reserve, I wouldn't have expected my folks to use my death to campaign for ending whatever conflict or event that caused my death. (Except in a MADD sense, if I'd been run over by a drunk or something.) And I find it hard to believe that Army Specialist Casey Sheehan would find his mother's actions appropriate here - or even justifiable.

Peace is desireable. I'm against 'Peace at any price' because you need to determine the price you're willing to pay. It often strikes me that the peace crowd seem to be (and this is my impression, don't have any facts to back it up) of the same persuasion as the folks who used to counsel women that if they're raped that they shouldn't fight back, because it might make the rapist mad at you. I don't know whether that advice is still in vogue today but the same principle doesn't apply in international politics.

Cindy Sheehan has found folks who are willing to tell her that her son was killed for nothing. They're using her as a figurehead - and she'll be discarded as soon as she's no longer useful. I fully support her right to protest - though I think she's being very badly advised in this matter.

However, Mohammed over at Iraq the Model has some different thoughts for her.

I realize how tragic your loss is and I know how much pain there is crushing your heart and I know the darkness that suddenly came to wrap your life and wipe away your dreams and I do feel the heat of your tears that won't dry until you find the answers to your question; why you lost your loved one?

I have heard your story and I understand that you have the full right to ask people to stand by your side and support your cause. At the beginning I told myself, this is yet another woman who lost a piece of her heart and the questions of war, peace and why are killing her everyday. To be frank to you the first thing I thought of was like "why should I listen or care to answer when there are thousands of other women in America, Iraq and Afghanistan who lost a son or a husband or a brother…”

But today I was looking at your picture and I saw in your eyes a persistence, a great pain and a torturing question; why?

I know how you feel Cindy, I lived among the same pains for 35 years but worse than that was the fear from losing our loved ones at any moment. Even while I'm writing these words to you there are feelings of fear, stress, and sadness that interrupt our lives all the time but in spite of all that I'm sticking hard to hope which if I didn't have I would have died years ago.

Ma'am, we asked for your nation's help and we asked you to stand with us in our war and your nation's act was (and still is) an act of ultimate courage and unmatched sense of humanity.

Our request is justified, death was our daily bread and a million Iraqi mothers were expecting death to knock on their doors at any second to claim someone from their families.

Your face doesn't look strange to me at all; I see it everyday on endless numbers of Iraqi women who were struck by losses like yours.

Our fellow country men and women were buried alive, cut to pieces and thrown in acid pools and some were fed to the wild dogs while those who were lucky enough ran away to live like strangers and the Iraqi mother was left to grieve one son buried in an unfound grave and another one living far away who she might not get to see again.

We did nothing to deserve all that suffering, well except for a dream we had; a dream of living like normal people do.

We cried out of joy the day your son and his comrades freed us from the hands of the devil and we went to the streets not believing that the nightmare is over.

We practiced our freedom first by kicking and burning the statues and portraits of the hateful idol who stole 35 years from the life of a nation.

For the first time air smelled that beautiful, that was the smell of
freedom.

...

We are in need for every hand that can offer some help. Please pray for us, I know that God listens to mothers' prayers and I call all the women on earth to pray with you for peace in this world.

Your son sacrificed his life for a very noble cause…No, he sacrificed himself for the most precious value in this existence; that is freedom.

His blood didn't go in vain; your son and our brethren are drawing a great example of selflessness. God bless his free soul and God bless the souls of his comrades who are fighting evil. God bless the souls of Iraqis who suffered and died for the sake of freedom.

God bless all the freedom lovers on earth.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free
While God is marching on.

Update: She's determined to be a martyr. Not good. I think she's losing it, and so does Dr. Sanity. And the folks over at Kos went totally unhinged at the idea that two people came to counterprotest. Very ugly, that. Seems they had signs with pictures of Casey Sheehan which said he was a hero and thanking him for his sacrifice... God, how terrible. There's a post over there (which I don't expect to stay up long - posts which don't adhere to the party line on Kos tend to get, um, disappeared in short order... and it's not censorship as such, they're just trying to protect their delicate sensibilities from folks who dissent...} that has an interesting comment...

hey Guys let's Be Honest (none / 0)

You are all freaking out because some people used her son's picture in their signs, but you don't think it's wrong for her to go against her dead son's wishes and use his death as a propaganda tool to campaign against a war he believed in?

That is very disrespectful of her to do that to him, whether or not you agree with this war it is immoral to use someone's death as a publicity tool. In fact the rest of her family is against this "impeachment" tour, isn't that correct?

Casey would be rollig over in his grave right now.

So stop shedding crocodile tears, people, its disingenious. You want the counter-protestors to leave her son out of it, but the mother is free to use Casey's death to promote political views which he was opposed to?

THAT is what makes me want to vomit.

by nihilist on Sun Aug 14th, 2005 at 11:51:36 PDT

Update II: Looks like those free-speech lovin' funboys over at Kos didn't like being called on their hypocracy - they've disappeared that post. Hey, nothin' like free speech, baby! Yeah! Um, as long as it's the 'proper' speech, that is.

God, what an ugly snakepit that place is.

I'm bumping this post to the top.

J.

The Iraqi Sunnis never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Facing Deadline, Iraqis Consider Bypassing Sunnis on Constitution - New York Times

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Aug. 15 - Iraqi leaders remained deadlocked over major issues in the country's new constitution, raising the possibility they would fail to meet today's deadline and push the country toward a political crisis.With several questions unresolved, Shiite leaders have said that they were considering asking the National Assembly to approve the document without the agreement of the country's Sunni leaders. Such a move would probably provoke the Sunnis, whose participation in the political process is seen as crucial in the effort to marginalize the Sunni-dominated guerrilla insurgency.

So, they've gone from having the whole pie to barely a third, and they're busy throwing THAT away while trying to grab more pie.

See my sympathy meter? It's pegging to the left.

J.

Time will tell.

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | When meat is not murder

It is the ultimate conundrum for vegetarians who think that meat is murder: a revolution in processed food that will see fresh meat grown from animal cells without a single cow, sheep or pig being killed.

Researchers have published details in a biotechnology journal describing a new technique which they hailed as the answer to the world's food shortage. Lumps of meat would be cultured in laboratory vats rather than carved from livestock reared on a farm.

J.

Actually, digs their hole a bit deeper. Financially, they're so strapped they're having to 'borrow' from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. Unless they get a daddy with damned deep pockets to keep them going, I don't expect them to be around next year.

Captain's Quarters

The ongoing financing scandal at Air America took a cynical twist in the last twenty-four hours. Brian Maloney, who broke the original story to the blogosphere, now reports that an internal memo from AAR host Randi Rhodes proposes using a private corporate jet to take her and her show to Crawford, Texas -- so that she can take advantage of all the publicity surrounding Cindy Sheehan:

Also, transporation is an issue, because it will take me a whole day to travel. I don't want to miss a day on the air, and lose momentum. Flight to Dallas, on to Waco and then to Craford by car. So I was hoping that someone in the company would let me use their jet? I could take Steve with me and leave after Thursday's show.

It doesn't look so good, taking money from kids' charities under dubious circumstances. If they were a conservative group, at this point people (we won't say which affiliation) would be screaming for investigations and it'd be headline news.

As it is? Crickets....

J.

When a rabbit starts sucking down the suds, you know you're in for some entertainment...

The Drunken Lagomorph :: How I learned the difference between farts and boners

Enjoy!

J.

But hey, Al Qaida's the good guys, right?

WorldTribune.com: Al Qaida has deployed roadside bombs laced with toxins

Thank you.

J.

Hmmm.

You know the purpose behind the canary in the coal mine - when the bird keeled over that was a sign the air was almost too foul to breath. You had a few minutes grace to get your ass to a rebreather or get out of the mine.

The theory of the Jew as the modern-day canary for evil isn't a bad one. It certainly seems to fit. In a healthy society, it doesn't matter if you're Jewish. In a sick one... they're looking for someone to blame. In a really sick, evil one, they blame the jews and try to exterminate them.

Captain's Quarters

Hugh asked Prager where he thought antisemitism had originated and where it was worst. After responding (a long answer not easily summarized), Dennis said something that truly resonated with me as a secular Jew. This is as near a quotation as I can paraphrase; when the transcript is available, I'll come back here and replace my words with Dennis's.

The curse of the Jews, Dennis said, is to be hated by the most evil men of every generation. The Jews are a barometer of hatred, canaries in a coal mine: to find the greatest evil, find the greatest haters of Jews.

When the Nazis were the greatest evil on the planet, they were also the most insane and "exterminationist" Jew haters. Now that the militant Islamists are the greatest evil (though not necessarily the greatest danger to America; North Korea and China are still out there), they are also the most unhinged Jew haters -- and they, too, are exterminationist, wanting not just to disassociate from Jews but to expunge them from the world.

One thing I think we can agree on - be you canary or Jew, it sucks to be the indicator of bad news.

J.

In Britain, it's not doing so well. Or in the Netherlands. The idea of multiculturalism works very well in theory, and for a few years in real life... but there comes a time when it's pretty clear that there's a flaw in the idea. What, for example, would be the result when an inherently intolerant culture smashes up against a tolerant one?

We're seeing the results worldwide. And all the handwaving and misdirection don't manage to hide that there's some big whopping flaws coming to light.

USNews.com: Michael Barone: Cultures aren't equal (8/15/05)

...

Imbalance. Writers in other tolerant countries have been noticing the blowback from multiculturalism. The Dutch novelist Leon de Winter wrote that as traditional Calvinist discipline frayed and Muslim immigrants rejected Dutch tolerance, "the delicate mechanism of Holland's traditional tolerant society gradually lost its balance." In The Age, the Melbourne, Australia, newspaper, Pamela Bone wrote, "Perhaps it is time to say, you are welcome, but this is the way it is here." The Age 's Tony Parkinson quoted the French writer Jean Francois Revel's Cold War comment: "A civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself." Tolerating intolerance, goodhearted people are beginning to see, does not necessarily produce tolerance in turn.

The conservative Telegraph of London ran a series of articles on extolling Britishness and placed on its website the contributions, positive as well as a few negative, of dozens of citizens. The nonagenarian W.F. Deedes, a journalist since the 1930s, perhaps summed it up best: "The reputation we have in distant lands, I have learned in my travels, is higher than we give ourselves. They admire us for our social stability, our parliamentary and diplomatic experience, for fair play, for tolerance, for a willingness to help lame dogs over stiles, as well as for some of the qualities Shakespeare sang about in his plays." When I was in Britain for the election in May, I was surprised to hear nothing from Tony Blair (or other politicians) about Britain's positive contributions to the world. Now they are being heard.

Multiculturalism is based on the lie that all cultures are morally equal. In practice, that soon degenerates to: All cultures all morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties, and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures but in certain specific times and places--mostly in Britain and America but also in other parts of Europe.

I like the idea of ethnic mixing. I LIKE foods from other cultures, ideas and thoughts from all over. Clothing styles, heritage festivals, mix and match and you end up with a rich tapestry of American life.

It's when one section refuses to assimilate that problems start up. The thing that makes a patchwork quilt or a tapestry so appealing is that all the parts fit together, all the threads intertwine. You yank out a patch, you pull out all the threads of one type - and you ruin the pattern.

Is there a solution? I don't see one. Except the Aussie "you are welcome, but this is the way it is here" with an addendum "Learn the language of the country, live the customs. And none of this hypenated-whatever stuff, either. We're all (Insert nationality)."

But I suspect something like that won't happen. It's just too rude.

J.

Chrenkoff

The big news?

The Internet's key oversight agency has quietly authorized Iraq's new government to manage its own domain name, allowing for the restoration of Internet addresses ending in ".iq."

J.

Saudi Beachware for Women? More here...

Um, yeah. Well, you sure can't complain about the SPF factors there.

Man, this would have been right at home on American beaches in the 1900's. Page 2's got stuff that wouldn't be too far off of American beaches - but it'd likely earn anyone wearing it a stoning from the Saudi religous police. Hat tip to The Religious Policeman...

J.

I just... um, no. Thanks, no. When I croak, I don't want one of these thankyouverymuch...

local6.com - News - Company Plans Video-Playing Tombstones

A new company plans to unveil new high-tech tombstones with embedded flat screen monitors that would allow visitors to play memorial videos of the deceased, according to a report.

Joe Joachim, who says he wants to be the Walt Disney of the funeral business, plans to unveil the Vidstone this year at the annual funeral directors convention.

I admire his entrepenurial spirit. However... I don't think I'll be be going to Funeral World anytime soon.

At least, not to stay.

Hopefully.

J.

Incoherant Ramblings by Risawn is a blog you ought to check out. (And she's not at all bad looking, either. If I were 30 years younger... wait. She's Army. Never mind...)

J.

Nope, let me rephrase that. I strongly DISLIKE them.

What is this object that draws my ire? You've likely run across them in your travels, perhaps at an airport... or maybe even in your office environment.

It's the automatic flushing toilet.

Maybe the sensors on those I use are in the wrong place. Maybe I'm just easily aggravated by toilets which flush when I bend over to wipe. Whatever the reason - I think they're a waste of good technology. And of water - usually the damn thing will flush twice to three times before I can get out of the stall. So, it's more expensive than a normal flush valve AND a water-waster to boot.

Self-flushing urinals are nowhere near so evil.

J.

Dr. Sanity: SHAME, THE ARAB PSYCHE, AND ISLAM

This explains a lot.

J.

Sky High: Disney Teen Angstish film, but but still worth seeing. Lynda Carter's still a babe, and the current crop of young starlets has potential. Besides, who hasn't fantasized about being a superhero? (Sidekick, not so much...) (Kind of wierd looking up the teen princesses that Disney's grooming and realizing they were born LONG after I got out of high school... The years go by too damn fast.)

Valiant: This looks like fun. We're going to see it tonight. Hopefully, it won't be too crowded.

Conquistador is a satisfying read by S.M. Sterling. Only thing that was jarring was the C-130J-30s. Sorry, but those wouldn't have been available for 'purloining' in mass quantaties, and it'd be damn hard to fold one enough to fit through the gate.

That's it for now!

J.

As part of an irregular series, I'll be posting links to this concept. Today, it's all about REAL ESTATE. From Americans for Fair Tax

Americans For Fair Taxation is supported by several residential Realtors® and homebuilders because the FairTax will increase home ownership and in turn boost the American economy.

Below are articles on how the FairTax will further the real estate industry:

Removing America's economic albatross
The FairTax booms home ownership
Why homebuilders support the FairTax
Why residential Realtors support the FairTax

The home interest deduction is paltry compared to the FairTax advantages. To see how much house you can afford under the current income/payroll tax system compared to the FairTax, click here for a step-by-step worksheet:

FairTax housing affordability calculator worksheet and instructions

J.

Those fun lovin' guys in Washington are getting ready to do some fingerpointing.

Democrats turn up heat on US pump prices

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Democrats turned up the heat on the White House on Friday to act in the face of record-high U.S gasoline pump prices.

The same day, the Senate Energy Committee set a September 8 hearing on what's behind the prices, which hit a record $2.55 a gallon this week.

The hearing will focus on global oil demand, refinery capacity constraints and the impact of futures market speculation on energy prices, Domenici said.

The panel said it has not set its witnesses.

Meanwhile, Democrats urged the White House to act.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid on Friday said the Bush administration should require U.S. oil companies to disclose their fuel pricing policies and production costs.

In a letter to the White House, Reid also said the Federal Trade Commission should investigate instances where a state's retail prices rise 20 percent in any given week "to determine if the price of gasoline is being artificially manipulated."

Past FTC probes into U.S. oil company pricing policies have found no sign of abuse.

"This one has already being done," White House spokesman Trent Duffy said. "The FTC and the Justice Department have been keenly watching for this type of activity for the past two years."

Duffy also said that Democrats' attempts to prevent oil drilling in the Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, have kept supplies tight.

"Commonsense steps we've tried to take, like increasing domestic oil production by allowing drilling in a small portion of ANWR, have been blocked by Democrats for years," Duffy said.

China's industrialized in a big way. They're using a LOT more oil than they did five years back. The hurricanes this year have beaten the snot out of the Gulf of Mexico oil fields. One other thing, we're flat out on refinery capacity. We need more, and that's not going to happen soon. So... we can either pay more on the world market, open ANWR, reopen a lot of 'uneconomical' oil wells in Texas, or open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

They really ought to be careful about pressuring the Prez to do something quickly. We can't block China from buying oil, but we can Manhattan project-style development of ANWR and building of new refineries.

No pretty answers for this one. Politically, nobody'll be happy with any of the solutions.

J.

I sure can't come up with an answer.

FOXNews.com - The Big Story w/ John Gibson - My Word - What Is the Solution?

However, I still stand by my statement that if the London cops — and by that I mean these special anti-terror units — do have a real bomber in their sights, I think they are going to have to shoot him.

Bombers set off their bombs with the movement of a finger. Just putting two fingers together is enough to detonate.

So what are we supposed to do? Ask them to put down their bomb and kindly stand trial for terrorism?

Seriously, all you people blaming me for the innocent young man getting shot because I approve of the tactic, what is your alternative?

It's not enough to shout, "You don't kill an innocent man!" We all know that.

But what do you do with a real bomber if you have managed to chase him down?

What is the tactic you would employ, all you justice experts who so self-righteously decry the killing of an innocent man? You all take the time to write to me to tell me I should be ashamed of myself and how can I live with myself, etc. because I so callously titled the column that day, "Five in the Noggin." So, you're all so smart. What exactly is the solution to a man with a bomb wrapped around his chest and the detonator in his hand?

I await your wisdom.

J.

On Friday, the local paper (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AKA the Urinal-Constipation) had an article on Neal Boortz and the Fairtax plan. Sunday, there were a LOT of letters to the editor about it. From the tone of the majority of the letters, you could tell that

a.) The people writing hadn't read the book.

b.) The people writing had no intention of reading the book, and

c.) The objections they were raising didn't have anything remotely in common with anything the FairTax plan proposed.

This is not a terribly unusual thing - tax reform is something that raises hackles on a lot of folks. There's folks who believe the 'rich' should pay their fair share, ('rich' usually being defined as more than what THEY make, which leaves a lot of latitude on the actual quantification of 'rich'), there's the folks who believe in the "take from the 'rich' and give to the 'poor'" philosophy of government, (That this seems to do little but perpetuate the poor seems to be missed. Exceptions to this observation exist of course, but exceptions are exceptions - not the norm) and there's folks who just plain oppose change no matter what.

I tend to go a bit towards the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' philosophy of governmental change myself. If something's obviously working, leave it the hell alone and figure out WHY it's working. Maybe the sucess in one area can be emulated elsewhere. What I DON'T like seeing is the enshrinement of any program or sector as untouchable, especially when it manifestly doesn't work as designed or has become overly complex and cumbersome.

And that's what's happened with the tax system here in the US. Between state taxes, federal taxes, Social Security and Medicate taxes, we've got a convoluted mess.

Why does tax software sell so well? Because it's virtually impossible to get everything right on your income tax return unless you're doing a 1040-EZ - unless you're willing to spend days reading through the forms and instructions. And don't think about calling the IRS for help - their advice is right only about half the time on their help lines. This in itself should be a hint it's getting obtuse with a web of deductions and credits that would do credit to a hungry spider.

And as far as business goes, I wouldn't even want to try to keep up with and manage all the business taxes and payroll taxes - the very thought of trying to keep all that going makes me want to hire an accountant.

But there's some folks who definitely don't like the unknown. The current tax code's a devil to keep up with and follow, but it's the devil they know. They're familar with it, they WANT to keep it the way it is because they know the ins and outs and the loopholes of it.

The FairTax would change that. So it has to be denigrated and the idea distorted. Hey, that tactic was sucessful with Social Security reform, so it's worth trying again... right?

But if you actually read the book, you can see the arguments aren't exactly honest. Here's two letters posted on the subject at Neal's site.

boortz.com: Nealz Nuze Today's Nuze

Boortz fails to back up his claims with evidence

What Neal Boortz claims would be a 23 percent "tax inclusive" rate is what those of us living in the real world would call a 30 percent sales tax (in addition to state and local sales taxes). But even those numbers are suspect --- some studies claim that the real tax rate would need to be 60 percent or higher.

Boortz says those studies are flawed, but nowhere in his book (or on his show) does he cite a study supporting his proposed tax rate. The best he can do is say that FairTax proponents spent "millions of dollars" in coming up with the 23 percent rate. That's like saying the big tobacco companies spent millions producing reports that cigarette smoking is good for you. When you're the one paying the "experts," it's amazing what you can get them to come up with.

Where's the real evidence? Boortz should either put up or shut up. I think he'll do neither.

HAYDEN KEPNER, Marietta

Hayden Kepner is an Atlanta bankruptcy attorney. (ed. - that means he's totally trustworthy when it comes to this, right? Heh.) When The FairTax Book first came out he wrote a "review" for Amazon.com. In that review Mr. Kepner lied, either intentionally or through carelessness, about the contents of the book. You can read Hayden Kepner's prevarications and my response in the August 3rd edition of Nealz Nuze. (Click on the link to read Kepner's Amazon.com review as well as my response) Not only did I expose Kepner's distortions in the Nuze, other Amazon.com reviewers took him to task also. To his credit, Hayden Kepner does not repeat all of the mistruths (intentional distortions?) that so dominated his first review of The Fair Tax Book. He does, however, obfuscate the facts with his claim that "some studies claim that the real tax rate would need to be 60 percent or higher." Kepner knows that those are not studies of the FairTax proposal, but of altered and modified proposals that make exclusions and exceptions not included in The FairTax Bill. Kepner also drags up that old and discredited "30%" objection. He knows, and we state very clearly in the book, that if the FairTax is quoted on an "exclusive" rather than an "inclusive" basis it would calculate to roughly 30%, just as our 25% income tax bracket would calculate to 33%, and our 35% tax bracket could calculate to 53.8% if quoted the same way. The FairTax replaces the income tax. Even Hayden Kepner might, when cornered, admit that we should quote the FairTax exactly the same way we quote the tax that it is replacing. Any way you look at it, under the FairTax when you spend $100, $23 goes to the government. Get our your calculators. That would mean that 23% of the purchase price goes to the feds.

Mr. Kepner is also upset that we didn't include all of the research in the book. We're sorry, Mr. Kepner, but we didn't want to make the book 750 pages long. The research used in developing the FairTax plan is available online at Fairtax.org. (ed. - I wouldn't have bothered to pick up a 750 page book on this. TMI, you know? And we don't need another doorstop. Present the idea clearly, give access to your sources. A big-ass book would likely turn people off the idea as 'too complicated to understand'. Which Mr. Kepner may have been hoping for...)

We are still anxiously awaiting a critique of The FairTax Book by Mr. Kepner that does not distort the facts. Perhaps Kepner's problem here is more with me, as a radio talk show host, than with the FairTax as a tax reform plan. Attorneys. Gotta love 'em.

A win-win proposition should have no opposition

Having just read "The FairTax Book," I'm scratching my head over some of the blogs in opposition to it.

Under the FairTax, I'd get 100 percent of my check. I'd pay no withholding tax, no Medicare tax, no Social Security tax --- no income tax at any level. I could save, buy and sell property at a profit with no tax liability. I'd pay a tax only when I bought things, at prices no different from, or perhaps less than, what I pay now. And I'd get a prebate for the necessities of life at the first of every month.

This tax would apply to everybody, regardless of income. So the FairTax is unfair and evil because . . ?

JIM CHEEK, Kennesaw

Wow! Someone who actually gets it! Thank you , Mr. Cheek!

We'll keep an eye out for more letters. In the meantime, those of you who want to actually learn the truth about the FairTax and the research behind it can either read the book or study the volumes of information available at FairTax.Org.

Anyway, I got a FairTax letter down below the fold, if you want to take a look.

Do I think this has a shot? Yes. Do I think it's better than our current system? Yes. Do I think we can reform our current system? Nope - it's got too many entrenched special interest groups who have lobbied and fought for their favorite loopholes, or who potentially will see a major portion of their business go away. (Cough, cough, Keptner, cough.) They'll fight this the hardest, I think, because they've got the most to 'lose' from all this.

J.

Figured I ought to put up a link to the actual legislation. First, the House version... GovTrack: H.R. 25: To promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes...

And then one for the Senate version.

GovTrack: S. 25: A bill to promote freedom, fairness, and economic opportunity by repealing the income tax and other taxes...

Enjoy!

J.

Transterrestrial Musings has some thoughts on it. One thing I find depressing is the idea that we can't build something like this because of the threat of terrorism. What if someone rams a plane into it? Or sneaks a bomb on board an elevator?

Well, that problem's got a solution. Firstoff, any space elevator to be built will likely be on the equator. Second, it's likely to be built well off from any continent due to soveriegnty issues. That being a given, it'd be easy to establish a 'no-fly', 'no-boat', 'no-sub' perimeter of about 50 miles in radius. Mark it well, publicize the hell out of it. Anything unauthorized moving into that area DIES - no questions asked. Mount high intensity lasers for planes and missiles on platforms on the perimeter, along with high-altitude SAMs. (Literal high-altitude SAMS, on a platform around the 200,000 foot mark pointing down. Gravity is your friend when you're trying to defend the high ground.) Sprinkle autonomus homing torpedoes for surface and underwater craft around the perimeter and at certain stations inside the perimeter to discourage the unwanted guest trying to sneak in seaside.

As far as handling cargo and such, it all would be 100% inspected at a transfer point. X-rays, sniffers, even repackaging if need be, all to reduce the chance of an explosive device slipping through.

As far as passengers go... well, this ain't no airline. Nobody goes up on a tourist visa, not for the first few years. Screen like crazy, run thorough background checks, and that should stop problems before they have a chance to crop up.

Expensive? Yeah. But necessary. I don't trust in a "Star Trek" type future where everyone pulls together for the common good. I wouldn't have been at all surprised if there were peace advocates on Earth advocating co-existance with the Borg, blaming Starfleet for doing something to piss them off in the first place, and doing minor bits of sabotage to hinder StarFleet in their fight.

I DO believe there's solutions to the problems of security. But the thing is, will the designers be willing to take the flack that'll come their way when it comes to making sure of the security arrangements? Or are they simply going to throw up their hands in disgust and say it can't be done without possibly pissing someone off, so it's better not to build the space elevator at all in the first place?

J.

Related to the previous post, this one is interesting.

news @ nature.com -Nanotube sheets come of age - Clear, conductive sheets produced at high speed.

Large, transparent sheets of carbon nanotubes can now be produced at lightning speed. The new technique should allow the nanotubes to be used in commercial devices from heated car windows to flexible television screens.

J.

In Iraq, Grace takes amazing hold

Today, Thomas' congregation has grown to about 1,000 adults and 500 children. The new church, finished last summer, is jammed for its five weekly services.

The Baghdad church's volunteers oversee a large humanitarian program, which includes classes for women, a vibrant children's ministry and a program that equips church members to preach elsewhere. Last Christmas, the church worked with the American ministry Samaritan's Purse to distribute over 100,000 Christmas Child boxes, filled with toys, candy, clothing and school supplies.

There's also a flourishing school, which the U.S. military has transformed -- painting it and installing new carpeting and windows. "They gave me a new photocopier and computers," says Thomas. "They asked if I needed chairs. I asked for 15 per classroom, and they gave me 40."

Thomas is grateful. "I tell you, they do this not only for my school, but for all the schools and universities in Iraq. But I think the American media do not report this."

He is baffled, he adds, by the media's single-minded focus on death and destruction, when many hopeful things are underway in Iraq. Well, we're baffled stateside as well. Good luck to him, and his church...

J.

Brainster's Blog

What If... The Rest of the Fantastic Four Were Peaceniks?

Enjoy!

J.

Now THAT'S an interesting speculation. I know that Libya's been a whole lot, um, 'quieter' since the Come to Jesus whuppin' Afghanistan and Iraq got. Sometimes you've got to hit the mule with a 2x4 to get it's attention, sometimes the mule seeing another one whalloped will change his mind and start acting right.

Gateway Pundit: Will Libya be the Next Middle East Democracy?

Now you might think that this is all Bush trying to look good. But... I don't think so. He's a lame duck now - he could just coast for the next few years instead of trying to establish democracy in the ME - and I don't think anyone would argue that he's REALLY done more for the establishment of democracy in the ME than any President in the last 100 years. (You could argue it - but with Afghanistian holding elections and Iraq holding elections, Lebanon kicking out the Syrians and all, you'd have a hard time convincing me that these things would have happened without US intervention, and/or that the people would rather remain under a grinding despot than determine their own futures. On second thought, that last isn't much of a stretch.)

We're seeing some significant changes for the better in the ME. More than I ever thought I'd see...

J.

About the problems and pitfalls of Iraq's Constitution. The way I look at it, that place has been SO fractured for so long that a Constitution as good as Afghanistan's would be a real step in the right direction. And over on Alenda Lux: Iraq's Constitution there s a good bit of roundup on what's going on over there.

May I point out that it's been 225+ years and we STILL haven't got ours 'right'? There's a patchwork of amendments, a Bill of Rights - yet we seem to have come a long way since the first drafts...

What they hammer out will likely work pretty well. And if it doesn't, they can amend it. I think (for what it's worth) that it'll do fine.

J.

over at the The FairTax Blog. I haven't accepted yet (the computer ate my letter accepting it, and I'm too damn tired to recreate it right now) but I think I'll be accepting.

I do think the current system's obsolete. It's like a 286 with 4 MB ram trying to run Win95. Yeah, it'll run... after a fashion. Yeah, it'll be slow as dirt. Yeah, it says on the box it'll run. But sometimes you've got to go ahead and save your data... and pull the plug and upgrade your 'hardware'.

We've avoided doing that with our tax code for a long time. Oh, there were reasons aplenty - the technology for the tax accounting would have been cumbersome, but we can't say that it'd be that difficult now. The biggest reason (IMHO) would be that the FairTax effectively dumps out taxes as a means of social engineering. (And the Luxury Tax is sone shining example of that.)

But it's tired and I'm late... or something like that. Go take a look and enjoy!

J.

Gasoline Price History is a chart by a guy who's kept track of what he's paid for gas for the last 26 years.

Adjusting for inflation, he's paying less now than he was in 1980.

J.

Doom, The Movie - Yahoo! Movies

Might actually be worth seeing - for the special effects if nothing else. Having spent way too many hours playing that game, it'll be interesting to see what Hollywood does with it.

J.

I'm looking at this and just plain disgusted.

Military says:

Last year, senior leaders of the Army became aware of technological developments which make it possible to improve the "Interceptor" body armor worn by our troops.`

The "Interceptor" consists of a vest, two SAPI (small arms protective insert) plates worn in the front and the back, and "backing" material around the plates. The plates are made of boronic carbide, the second hardest substance known to man (only diamonds are harder) but fairly light weight.

The plates will shatter a standard rifle bullet, and the backing catches the bullet fragments to prevent injuries from shrapnel.

The "Interceptor" is the best body armor manufactured in the world today, and represents a remarkable improvement over the protective vests worn by our troops in the first Gulf War, and Somalia in 1993. Those vests could protect against shrapnel, but a rifle bullet would cut right through them.

Those vests weighed 24 lbs each. The interceptor ensemble — which can stop an AK-47 bullet fired from just 10 feet away — weighs just 16 lbs. But the best isn't perfect. There are some special types of ammunition that can penetrate the boronic carbide plates. Last year Army leaders became aware of improvements that could be made to the SAPI plates that would protect against most (though not all) of these special types of ammunition.

There is little evidence insurgents in Iraq are using the special types of ammunition that can defeat the "Interceptor." But the Army wanted to be proactive, to defeat a potential threat before it emerged.

"We're taking what we think is a prudent step to guard against a step (the insurgents) could take, but that's a step that really hasn't developed yet," Spoehr said.

Altering the formula by which the SAPI plates are manufactured is not a simple process, since these plates must be manufactured to extremely precise (1,000ths of an inch) dimensions.

"Making one of these plates is like making one of those tiles that protects the (space) shuttle from heat," Spoehr said.

Yet though the specifications weren't set until early in January, new plates were being manufactured — and delivery begun to U.S. troops — in March. Those familiar with the Pentagon's procurement process recognize this as lightning speed. (ed. - Ain't THAT the truth! Two months? That's normally not enough time for procurment to draft a request for a draft for a proposal for a possible purchase of a laptop, much less get something ordered, bought, and to the troops.)

The process was speeded up in part because in this instance the Army departed from the normal Pentagon practice of telling contractors not only what the Army needed, but how the contractors were to build what the Army wanted. (ed. - Commercial Off The Shelf technology (or COTS) is changing how the military does things. There used to be significant differences between milspec and commerical goods, like tents, backpacks, GPS systems and like - but not so much any more. And it's good to see that more emphasis is placed on getting the stuff out than making sure that every last bit of paperwork is complete and reviewed before they start making something.)

This time, Spoehr said, the Army told contractors what the Army needed, and let the contractors figure out how best to meet the need.

"It's our belief that we put the specifications out there, and then we let good old American ingenuity go to work," he said. "We have realized improvements in our own system from innovations contractors have come up with."

The new plates are a little thicker, but they weigh just two lbs. more than the ones currently in use. The new SAPI plates cost $1,300 a set, up from $1,000 for the older set.

Reporter says:

Here's how the story was presented by Moss in the New York Times Aug. 14th: "For the second time since the Iraq war began, the Pentagon is struggling to replace body armor that is failing to protect American troops from the most lethal attacks of insurgents.

"The ceramic plates in vests worn by most personnel cannot withstand certain munitions the insurgents use. But more than a year after military officials initiated an effort to replace the armor with thicker, more resistant plates, tens of thousands of soldiers are still without the stronger protection because of a string of delays in the Pentagon's procurement system."

Gee, it's so NICE that the reporter summarized that to clear out all those little EXTRA details which just distracted the reader from the 'truth'. And the media wonders why folks are tuning them out.

J.

Captain's Quarters has about the best roundups I've noticed on the web.

In short, the left hand wasn't permitted to tell the right hand what it was doing. The right hand wasn't permitted to even suspect there was a left hand. A wall was established to insure that the right hand and left hand never communicated.

And the architect of that wall was on the 9/11 investigation panel... which perhaps explains why this was never covered.

Just keep scrolling down - there's plenty to read and think about.

J.

Michael Yon : Online Magazine: Gates of Fire

Damn. LTC Kurrila got shot.

This is what reporting's all about, AP and Reuters to the contrary. You read about the people over there, and you start to care about them. They're fighting the good fight, for the freedom of the Iraqi people from the bastards that'd drag the whole country down to the level of Afghanistan in 2000. They're doing a damn hard job, one that's not made one whit easier by the Cindy Sheehans of this world.

Go. Read.

J.

You won't get much more info than what you'll find here... if you're interested in something other than the daily body count, that is.

Welcome to the U.S. Central Command Electronic Newsletter.

I'm glad to see this. The mainstream media's been ignoring the news out of Iraq that's anything other than the 'if it bleeds, it leads' variety.

Oh, wait a sec - that was LAST week's newsletter. Silly me. Here's THIS week's.

Oh, and here's something else. Kabul Police Academy Graduates First Officer Class. Man, that guy on the right needs a shave.

For all these and more, check out the United States Central Command Home Page. You won't see THESE stories on CNN. Not as long as there's a gas station robbery, crack house raid, or missing dog anywhere in the US...

J.

BREITBART.COM - Just The News

People with friends or relatives serving in Iraq are more likely than others to have a positive view of a generally unpopular war, an AP- Ipsos poll found.

Some of those surveyed said their relationships with troops helped them learn more about what's going on in Iraq beyond the violence. Others said their opinions of the war were shaped by a sense of loyalty to those in harm's way.

A solid majority of those who did not know anyone in Iraq said they thought the war was a mistake, 61 percent, compared to 36 percent who thought it was the right decision. Those who had a relative or friend there were almost evenly split, 49 percent right decision, 47 percent mistake.
After Ted Chittum of Bourbon, Ind., had a chance to talk at length with his cousin who served in Iraq, he said he got a different picture of what was going on in the country.

"He talked about all the good things that are going on," said Chittum, a school superintendent and a political independent who supports the war effort. "Schools are opening up. The people are friendly, wanting our help. You get a whole different spin from what you get on television."

J.

And a plane-crazy 7-year old are a pretty good match. The little guy's having a fine time with it - though I'd hate to be a virtual passenger in the 747 he keeps 'landing', or a virtual maintenance manager when he sees what the pilot did to the airframe THIS time. I'd likely be tearing out my virtual hair and cussing a virtual blue streak at having to replace virtual tires, re-anchor virtually torn-out seats, straighten badly bent and twisted virtual landing gear, and ironing the virtual kinks out of the virtual fuselage.

I won't even get started on the virtual stewardesses. They'd be complaining to the virtual union about having to fly with this pilot who acts like he's a little kid and can't get the plane on the runway to save their lives.

Hmmm. Wonder if there's an expansion pack for the Sims called Virtual Flying?

J.

I posted this over on the FairTax blog last night. In honor of the Capital One credit card commercials, I've titled it...

What's coming out of YOUR wallet?

Friday! Yay! As an Average Joe worker, I get paid every two weeks. But it's nibbled at by deductions. So, let's look at the numbers, shall we?

(Note - this is a representative paycheck. The numbers aren't my real pay, which is a bit higher, but the percentages of what's coming out are what's on my pay stub.)

Let's get started...
$1000 - Pay for this paycheck. Yay! Immediately I take out...
$100 -- for the 401K deduction. Won't be young forever, need to plan for the future if I want more than a Social Security pittance! Pretax money.
That leaves...

$900 -- Gross pay. 10% off the top's gross, all right. From that, let's take...

$93.60- 10.4% Federal Witholding... (I claim 1 exemption.)
$62.10 - 6.9% Social Security...
$13.50 - 1.5% Medicare...
$42.30 - 4.7% State withholding...

That's 23.5%. I've a grand total of $688 left.

But wait! There's a few things I missed!

Now, suppose I spend it all on necessities. (New underwear, a frying pan, gas, a couple of new tires, Easy-Mac, dishwasher detergent, paper towels, a month's supply of food...) Take 5.5% off the top of THAT to pay for sales tax. (Some areas I shop in are at 5%, some at 6% so I'll split the difference.) Now we're down to an effective net pay of...

$650.

And that doesn't count payroll deduction for insurance, disability or stuff like that.

Kind of a ways off from my original $1000, isn't it?

So - if the FairTax is implemented, what's the first thing I'd do if I had that extra $250? Maximize my 401k and start tossing money into my Roth IRA account. Then put extra money towards paying down the mortgage. Oh, wait - I'd be getting a prebate also - that runs out to about $429 a month for our family (no matter the tax bracket.).

If the FairTax passes - I'd get $500 more every two paychecks. And $429 for the family - that totals to $929 a month. (This doesn't include the amount my lovely bride makes. Let's just say we're about comparable in our incomes, and so from HER side we'd see an extra $500. Oh, and add in an extra $20 per year, because I won't have to buy TurboTax to prep for April 15th.)

Somehow, I just don't see what I'd be losing here by going to the FairTax. Can anyone explain to me just WHY the current system is better?

Wonder if they'd feel that same way about slavery? Or gladiatoral combat to the death? Lining water pipes with lead to prevent leaks? Hey, it was good enough for the Romans!

Just because "It's always been done this way" doesn't mean there isn't a better way. And it's a damn poor arguement to try to justify continuing a system that needs changing.

Go check things out for yourself over at the main FairTax site. It's time for a change.

J.

He had an interview with Hugh Hewett - and the transcript is up over on Radio Blogger. Loads of details, and it's apparent that Michael Yon's a reporter of the old school - reporting the facts and letting the viewer decided what to make of them... as opposed to a journalist who covers what supports the point of view he's trying to get across.

Radio Blogger

HH: Are Americans getting a distorted view about how the war is going?

MY: Absolutely. Clearly, you're getting mostly body counts and bombings and that sort of thing, which are very real. I mean, I see those things here. They absolutely occur. We fight here every day. But what they don't see is that we fight less and less here every day. For instance, Deuce 4 has not been hit with an I.E.D. in about two weeks. We used to get hit like twice a day. Now, it's been like two weeks, and we have not been hit at all. So, you know what I'm saying?

HH: Yup.

J.

Daily Times - Site Edition

BAGHDAD: President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday Iraq’s draft constitution is ready to be put to an October 15 referendum despite the objections of Sunni Arabs which were downplayed by US President George W Bush.

“The draft constitution is ready and will be presented to the Iraqi people, who are known for their intelligence, to give their verdict on October 15,” Talabani told reporters.

“There are objections from our Sunni Arab brothers... but nobody can claim that they represent the whole spectrum of Sunni Arabs,” said the president, who is a Kurd. “If the nation rejects it, we will write another one.”

Bush hailed the draft constitution, calling it “an inspiration” for supporters of democracy. “Of course there’s disagreement. We’re watching a political process unfold, a process that’s encouraged debate and compromise,” he said from his Texas ranch.

The big stumbling block would seem to be they're worried about a partitioning of the country - and that areas where the Sunnis are in the majority might end up with a whole lot of sand and not much else. They don't seem to grasp the idea of a country being a lot of cooperating states. And I wonder how much of their objections are due to fear that the other groups in the country might do what THEY would do (and did) when they had the upper hand?

Hmmm. Captain's Quarters has a slightly different analysis.

The American ambassador said he thinks most of the Sunnis supported the document but could not afford to say so. Zalmay Khalizad noted that the Sunnis have come under strong pressure from the terrorist groups to oppose any constitution that sets Iraq up as a democracy and that the politicians fear assassination if they do or say anything positive. Perhaps this could turn out to be true. Voter registration is up in the Sunni areas, ostensibly to defeat the draft referendum -- but it could lead to a popular revolt against the violence that has mostly marred Sunni areas, and the constitution might get enough of the vote to pass.

On the other hand, the Guardian reports that the Sunnis have asked other Arab nations to step in and block the draft from going to the voters, along with the UN and other international organizations. That end-run around democracy will not please their fellow Iraqis in the Kurdish and Shi'ite territories. The Kurds especially will resent Arab League interference, especially since they've run their own democracy in the north for over a decade while the Arab League tried to force the Coalition to leave Iraq to Saddam during the entire time since Gulf War I. No one in either group trusts the UN to do anything beneficial for anyone but the Sunni complainers, either, but the likelihood of UN action will remain nil with the US and UK pushing for a vote.

J.

What Hurricane Katrina's going to do to the Gulf coast drill rigs and refineries is really going to jack the price of gas up over the next few weeks.

I'll be surprised if New Orleans is still around in 48 hours. The place is damn near underwater anyway, and if the pumps they use fail... well, Cafe DuMonde's going to be a fond memory. (Their website's down as I write this. That bodes ill for the rest of the city.) (Hmmm. Not down, but REAL slow.) And you know it's bad when even the Weather Channel guys bug out. (He's apparently gone north across Lake Ponchartrain.)

They're gonna get hammered. Good luck, New Orleans.

J.

NOLA View weblog is keeping up with things, including a photo of the Superdome.

Man, they're getting pounded. And they haven't updated since about noon.

J.

What is it?

You can back out up to ten clicks (and I've no way of verifying if you click out more) to help you identify this... and don't forget to change between the MSN and Google photos!

Enjoy!

J.

New Orleans Filling With Floodwaters Due to Breached Levee

They've got one hell of a pumping system set up, but you've got to have less coming in than you're pumping out. Until that levee is plugged they're going to be losing ground big-time.

Good luck, guys...

J.

Never hurry around improvised explosives...

DefenseLINK News: One Terrorist Dies, Four Detained in Samarra

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2005 – A terrorist was killed when an improvised explosive device he was removing from his vehicle detonated Aug. 29 in Samarra, Iraq, military coalition officials in Iraq reported today.

J.

MT 3.2 non-beta's out. I, being a glutton for punishment, will attempt to switch over from the MT 3.2b I'm currently running.

Expect this thing to be a bit scrambled for a while...

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Update - well, it's... done. Took longer to back things up than it did to do the install. We'll see how stable it is long-term...

J.

Over at Instapundit.com he's collected a whole lot of them. Go. Give till it hurts - because those who need it are hurting more.

BTW, if you're a blood donor or capable of donating blood (but haven't done so for whatever reason) I'd suggest you find your local blood bank (preferably Red Cross - yes, they'll make a bit of a profit on your bodily fluids but it'll help people out who need it badly) and let them tap you for a pint. I'm planning on doing that tomorrow. BTW, if you've got flood relief links that aren't in the above, please leave them in the comments section and I'll add them in here.

Pray for New Orleans and that whole area. They made it through the hurricane, but the hard part hasn't even started yet.

J.

Katrina's Aftermath - All Business - Yahoo! Finance has more news than you really want to see about the economic impacts of all this.

Current estimates are at least a $26 BILLION hit on insurers. (That's $26,000,000,000 for the commaly challenged...) Apparently 95% of the gulf's oil infrastructure's damaged/affected some way or another.

But wait - there's some good news in all this.... It would seem this is all NORMAL.

Storms Vary With Cycles, Experts Say - New York Times

But that is not the case, scientists say. Instead, the severity of hurricane seasons changes with cycles of temperatures of several decades in the Atlantic Ocean. The recent onslaught "is very much natural," said William M. Gray, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University who issues forecasts for the hurricane season.

From 1970 to 1994, the Atlantic was relatively quiet, with no more than three major hurricanes in any year and none at all in three of those years. Cooler water in the North Atlantic strengthened wind shear, which tends to tear storms apart before they turn into hurricanes.
In 1995, hurricane patterns reverted to the active mode of the 1950's and 60's. From 1995 to 2003, 32 major hurricanes, with sustained winds of 111 miles per hour or greater, stormed across the Atlantic. It was chance, Dr. Gray said, that only three of them struck the United States at full strength.

Historically, the rate has been 1 in 3.

Then last year, three major hurricanes, half of the six that formed during the season, hit the United States. A fourth, Frances, weakened before striking Florida.

"We were very lucky in that eight-year period, and the luck just ran out," Dr. Gray said.

Sigh.

J.

Cafe Du Monde - Original French Market Coffee Stand New Orleans - the web site is up, with a slideshow of their original location over the years.

We've eaten there a few times on our visits to New Oreans. I don't even want to think what it must be looking like now...

J.

to the Red Cross. I'm feeling a bit wiped, for some reason. So, not much tonight except it's looking worse and worse for New Orleans.

Re the looters: I can see looting for food. And for water. But otherwise? Okay, you stole that TV set you always wanted. You dragged it through the water to your home - and you don't have any power. That's a good thing, because if you HAD power you'd likely have plugged the thing in while it was still wet. One can only hope you managed to scrounge up a generator somewhere, and got it all started up and plugged in the still-dripping TV.

Come to think of it, weren't there some pictures of some isolated houses on fire today?

Hmmm. Electricity and water don't mix well. I recommend avoiding the combination.

J.