Rusted Sky

Somalia government forces advance - Africa - MSNBC.com

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Clan leaders considered abandoning Islamic militias who control the Somali capital and throwing their support to government forces, which advanced to within striking distance of this beleaguered city Wednesday.

Islamic courts fighters in Mogadishu, meanwhile, were seen changing out of their uniforms into civilian clothes. Women selling qat — the popular leafy stimulant banned by the militias — crowded the streets.

The Council of Islamic Courts seized the capital in June and went on to take much of southern Somalia, often without fighting. They were later joined by foreign militants, including Pakistanis and Arabs.

However - all good things must come to an end.

The U.N. Security Council failed for a second day on Wednesday to agree on a statement calling for an immediate cease-fire in Somalia because Qatar insisted the council demand the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces.

The 14 other council members refused to demand the immediate pullout of Ethiopian and other troops, diplomats said.

Somehow, I just don't think so.

J.

My Way News - Thousands Flock to See Saddam's Grave

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Thousands of Iraqis flocked to Saddam Hussein's hometown of Ouja on Sunday, where the deposed leader was buried in a religious compound 24 hours after his execution.

J.

Kind of looks like it from my point of view. We'll just go with what's reported for the polling process. First, the good news.

AP poll: Americans optimistic for 2007 - Yahoo! News

The telephone poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Dec. 12-14 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.

Poll: Americans see gloom, doom in 2007 - Yahoo! News

The telephone poll of 1,000 adults was conducted Dec. 12-14 by Ipsos, an international polling firm. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus three percentage points.

(1) AP Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson, AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius and AP writer Kasie Hunt contributed to this story.

(2) AP writer Natasha Metzler, AP's Manager of News Surveys Trevor Tompson and AP News Survey Specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this story.

Just remember - there IS a bias - toward ratings. Whatever will get the most revenue is what you're going to see.

J.

This is a VERY interesting idea!

Online Machine Shop

Welcome to eMachineShop - where you can instantly design, price and order your custom parts online!
eMachineShop is the remarkable new way to get the custom parts you need - the first true online alternative to a machine shop. Download our free software, choose a machine or process, draw your part, and click to order - it's easy! Your parts will be machined and delivered - at low cost.

Happy new year!

J.

If I didn't know better, I'd almost think we were winning against Islamic terrorism.

Wars Update: Less War, More Peace in 2006

January 1, 2007: You'd never know it from the headlines, but, overall, things quieted down in the past year. Fighting has died down considerably, or disappeared completely, in places like Nepal, Chechnya. Congo, Indonesia and Burundi. This continues a trend that began when the Cold War ended, and the Soviet Union no longer subsidized terrorist and rebel groups everywhere.

International terrorism has created a international backlash and a war unlike any other. The only terrorist victories are in the media. On the ground, the terrorists are losing ground everywhere. There least refuges are places like Somalia, a few of the Philippine islands, and tribal regions of Pakistan. They are being chased out of Somalia and the Philippines, while Pakistan is under constant pressure to do the same.

The War on Terror has become the War Against Islamic Radicalism. This movement has always been around, for Islam was born as an aggressive movement, that used violence and terror to expand. Past periods of conquest are regarded fondly by Moslems, and still called upon to inspire the faithful. The current enthusiasm for violence in the name of God has been building for over half a century. Historically, periods of Islamic radicalism flared up periodically in response to corrupt governments, as a vain attempt to impose a religious solution on some social or political problem. The current violence is international because of the availability of planet wide mass media (which needed a constant supply of headlines), and the fact that the Islamic world is awash in tyranny and economic backwardness. Islamic radicalism itself is incapable of mustering much military power, and the movement largely relies on terrorism to gain attention. Most of the victims are fellow Moslems, which is why the radicals eventually become so unpopular among their own people that they run out of new recruits and fade away. This is what is happening now. The American invasion of Iraq was a clever exploitation of this, forcing the Islamic radicals to fight in Iraq, where they killed many Moslems, especially women and children, thus causing the Islamic radicals to lose their popularity among Moslems.

Normally, the West does not get involved in these Islamic religious wars, unless attacked in a major way. Fighting back is considered, by Moslems, as culturally insensitive, and some of the Western media have picked up on this bizarre interpretation of reality. Historians like to point out, for example, that the medieval Crusades were a series of wars fought in response to Islamic campaigns against Christians, not the opening act of aggression that started everything. Thus, the current war on terror is, indeed, in the tradition of the Crusades. And there are many other "Crusades" brewing around the world, in the many places where aggressive Islamic militants are making unprovoked war on their Christian neighbors. Political Correctness among academics and journalists causes pundits to try and turn this reality inside out. But a close look at the violence in Africa, Asia and the Middle East shows a definite pattern of Islamic radicals persecuting those who do not agree with them, not the other way around.

But that's just me. I'm not terribly culturally sensitive - but I don't want to see the world dragged back to the Middle Ages to please some fanatics who can't handle the modern world.

J.

Peacekeepers accused of sex abuse - Africa - MSNBC.com

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations said Wednesday it was looking into charges that U.N. peacekeepers and civilian staff were sexually abusing children as young as 12 in southern Sudan and was prepared to take strong disciplinary action.

The U.N. internal watchdog office has a team permanently based in Sudan to investigate all allegations of abuse and has sent four peacekeepers back to their home countries in the past year as a result of the team’s findings, U.N. chief spokeswoman Michele Montas said.

J.

No Word On Bin Laden - Mullah Omar

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Taliban chief Mullah Omar has added to the mystery over Osama bin Laden, saying he hasn’t seen his ally and fellow fugitive since U.S.-backed forces ousted the Taliban from Afghanistan in 2001.

“No, I have neither seen him, nor have I made any effort to do so, but I pray for his health and safety,” Omar said in an e-mailed response to questions sent by Reuters.

The questions were relayed to Omar through his spokesman, Mohammad Hanif, and a reply was received late Wednesday.

I've often wondered at how quiet he's been. After Tora Bora he kept a REAL low profile (maybe 6 feet under?) but still...

No videotapes, except a couple that couldn't be identified as to date. Audiotapes - but anyone with a laptop and a few hours of his audiotapes (and aparently the man was something of a televangelist when it came to distributing his speechs via CD and cassette) could cut & splice out a ten to fifteen minute message. Record it to audiotape, and you had a 'new' message from Osama.

So now Mullah Omar says he hasn't seen him since 2001. That's... interesting.

(It could also explain why Bush has dismissed Osama as a threat. He may still be a tripping hazard from scattered bones, but that's about it.)

J.

I'm taking a look at the Amazon Unbox Video service. And on the cover - it doesn't look too bad. I mean, to be able to download whatever you might want directly to your hard drive (admittedly with a bit of DRM annoyances built in) is a pretty damn neat idea.

However... (You knew there was going to be a problem, right?)

I've got two minor and one major beef.

The first minor one - their series downloads are irregular as hell. For instance, I'd like to download year 2 of Stargate Atlantis... but it's not available. Year 1 is, and Year 3. Not Year 2.

I'd like to download some Dr. Who, especially the early episodes.... and they're frustratingly incomplete. They're pretty spotty on classic and semi-classic SF. It's a GREAT concept, and there's a fair bit of stuff out there that I wouldn't mind paying a couple bucks an episode for...

BUT THEY DON'T HAVE IT!!! AARGH!!!

Second - their pricing is really odd. They can 'rent' me a program for $3, or sell an episode for $2, but some of the movies are $7-10-12 or more... and let's be honest here, once it's onto magnetic media it ain't gonna cost more than bandwidth to get it to ya, and bandwidth is cheap. I'll buy and download five digital movies at $3 each, but I won't spend $12 to buy one that I won't even get a DVD for. They need to work on the pricing.

Now the major beef... the Amazon UnBox software.

It had some major issues with the DRM (digital rights management) software on my system. No problem - I'll simply remove it and reinstall... didn't help. Called up Amazon Help (which was pretty good, BTW, I'll give them points for that) and talked to a tech who suggested using Windows Media Player, because the UnBox software's got some bugs. Update early and often for best function...

Okay, I didn't sign up to be a beta tester, but I'll tolerate this. However, Amazon needed to have a bulletproof, WORKING system BEFORE they started this.

Well, it's still in the early stages. I can... tolerate it. But I'm going to be reluctant to buy anything more than I've got. (Half of Season 10 of Stargate SG-1 - second half isn't out yet...) And with the limited selection, it's not hard to find an excuse to not buy...

J.

Keep on testing!

ABC News: North Korea Prepping Nuclear Weapons Test

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2007 — North Korea appears to have made preparations for another nuclear test, according to U.S. defense officials.

"We think they've put everything in place to conduct a test without any notice or warning," a senior U.S. defense official told ABC News.

The official cautions that the intelligence is inconclusive as to whether North Korea will actually go ahead with another test but said the preparations are similar to the steps taken by Pyongyang before it shocked the world by conducting its first nuclear test last Oct. 9.

"That would surprise me," a senior intelligence official said when asked if North Korea is likely to soon conduct another test.

J.

Works and Days: Military Solutions?

Thus the better question is why haven’t a half-million Iraqi and coalition troops been able to defeat at most 20,000-30,000 insurgents, especially when over 11 million Iraqis voted for their own democratic representatives? The answer is that the restrictive rules of engagement, the open borders to Iran and Syria, and the perception of American impotence have all combined to suggest to most Iraqis that the radical beheading/IEDing/kidnapping/assassinating minority within their midst will be running things in their neighborhood once the far larger, more static, far nicer, and far more restrained coalition troops dissolve or leave. People in advance always make the necessary adjustments to popular perceptions.

Nope, UN got that...

So what CAN we do?

Any ideas?

J.

Royalty doesn't protect you from bullets. Neither does faith. This guy apparently tried both, didn't work.

وكالة الانباء الوطنية العراقية - ونا: Five members of AL-Qaeda were killed today in AL-Anbar among them (Prince) Yamane nationality

Iraqi National – WNA / Baghdad Office/ Anbar rescue Council announced today, Thursday, the killing of five members of the al-Qaeda network of Anbar governorate west of Iraq.

The leader of the Council, Sheikh Hamid Farhan said that the local council forces killed five terrorists among them a Yamani nationality prince in the area of Heet in western Iraq.

Farhan assured that "Council forces tightened her grip on the West Coast" which is facing continued tension on the part of armed groups that operate in that region.

The Council of the province of Anbar is supported by the Iraqi government and American forces in the region.
تم الغاء التعليقات لهذا الخبر

J.

And it's not quite what was expected.

Harvard Gazette: Freedom squelches terrorist violence

Before analyzing the data, Abadie believed it was a reasonable assumption that terrorism has its roots in poverty, especially since studies have linked civil war to economic factors. However, once the data was corrected for the influence of other factors studied, Abadie said he found no significant relationship between a nation's wealth and the level of terrorism it experiences.

"In the past, we heard people refer to the strong link between terrorism and poverty, but in fact when you look at the data, it's not there. This is true not only for events of international terrorism, as previous studies have shown, but perhaps more surprisingly also for the overall level of terrorism, both of domestic and of foreign origin," Abadie said.

Instead, Abadie detected a peculiar relationship between the levels of political freedom a nation affords and the severity of terrorism. Though terrorism declined among nations with high levels of political freedom, it was the intermediate nations that seemed most vulnerable.

Anyway - this is interesting news, and may well explain why we've had so few terroristic incidents in the US over the last 40 years or so...

J.

Political Tracking Poll: Nancy Pelosi

Forty-three percent (43%) of Americans have a favorable opinion concerning the nation’s new Speaker of the House. The first woman to serve in that role, Nancy Pelosi (D) earns favorable reviews from 45% of women and 41% of men. A Rasmussen Reports survey of 800 Likely Voters found that, overall, 39% have an unfavorable opinion of the Speaker.

Those numbers reflect a significant improvement for Pelosi since November. At that time, just 24% had a favorably opinion of her while 40% held an unfavorable view.

Rasmussen Reports™: George W. Bush Job Approval Rating

The President’s Job Approval Ratings have bounced up slightly in the first week of the New Year. Today, 45% of Americans say they at least Somewhat Approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role. That's the highest approval rating the President has received since early November.

There's times I wonder whether the constant polling is good or bad - the urge for a politician to weathervane must be immense, and I don't see that constant policy adjustments to raise poll numbers will really do much of anything but get a whole lot of stuff barely started.

J.

The economy is terrible! Er, isn't it?

Hiring, Wages Up Strongly in December: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Ending 2006 on a positive note, employers boosted hiring and fattened workers' paychecks in December, capping a year in which the country's unemployment rate averaged a six-year low of 4.6 percent.

The tally of jobs exceeded forecasts and was the most since September. Employment gains also turned out to have been stronger in both October and November with 29,000 more jobs being created in those two months combined than the government had estimated.

Sharing in last month's gains were architectural and engineering outfits, hospitals and doctors' offices, banks, computer design firms, bars and restaurants, hotels and motels, and schools. Those increases swamped job losses in construction and manufacturing that reflected fallout from the troubled housing and automotive sectors. Retailers also cut workers.

"The economy seems to be weathering the storm clouds in the auto and housing industries. Employers are putting out the hiring signs -- though they are not being overly aggressive -- and workers are earning more money," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group.

As far as pay goes...

Workers, many of whom had seen their pay eaten by inflation, saw their average hourly earnings jump to $17.04 in December, a 0.5 percent rise from the prior month.

Over the past 12 months, wages grew by a strong 4.2 percent, a gain last exceeded in November 2000. Wages are now growing faster than consumer prices, which should leave people with more money to spend. That's good for workers and for the economy because consumer spending is a big force driving overall economic activity.

It's really hard to convince myself that things are as bad as they supposedly are.

J.

Take a look.

boortz.com: Nealz Nuze January 05, 2007

J.

I think this one needs the full article.

KCBS - Muslim Leader Blames Senator Boxer for a Death Threat Against Him

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- The executive director of the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said he believes a death threat against him was fueled by Senator Barbara Boxer’s actions.

Boxer had commended Basim Elkarra’s chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for the group’s efforts to improve relations between Christians, Jews, minority groups and the FBI. Her officer later rescinded the award after investigating an on-line report that accused Elkarra’s group of terrorist sympathies.

While investigating the accusations, Boxer learned two former CAIR members were sentenced to prison for crimes related to terrorist groups, according to her communications director, Natalie Ravaitz. Ravaitz said CAIR had also refused to label Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.

Elkarra claims Boxer was misinformed and has caved into the rise of Islamophobia in the United Stated.

"It empowers the extremists. Just recently we saw a video that came out, talking about open season on Muslims. It's all over the Internet and people are bragging about killing Muslims. This has to stop. It's unacceptable. Islamophobia is real, it's here and we have to make sure our elected officials speak out against it."

CAIR maintains it opposes terrorist activities and Elkarra said the people Boxer gathered her information from are extremists themselves, but anti-Muslim.

"She was quoting from these individuals from Florida who have these hate and extreme right-wing Websites and she also consulted with anti-Muslim bigots. It's really unfortunately she didn't contact us and see our side of the story."

Elkarra received his death threat through e-mail, and the FBI is now conducting an investigation.

We're five years into the Long War.

Sooner or later, we're going to have to realize that the enemy WILL lie about intentions in a heartbeat, and will attempt to deceive us any way possible. Looks like Sen. Boxer has realized she was scammed, but Elkarra doesn't want to let the mark off the hook.

Points to Boxer for waking up. Let's hope others do too.

J.

Hmmm. Looks like... it might not be.

Iraq's economic strides�-�Editorials/Op-Ed�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Did you know that Iraqi real-estate prices have gone up several hundred percent since the fall of Saddam Hussein?
That Iraqi workers' salaries have increased more than 100 percent in that time?
That the number of cars in violence-torn Baghdad has grown by 500 percent in the same period?
That the Iraqi construction, retail and wholesale trade sectors are all growing at a healthy pace?
Chances are that you are astonished by these facts. I certainly was when I read them in an article by Silvia Spring in the end-of-the-year edition of Newsweek International.

The piece is titled "Iraq's Economy is Booming" and it's a revelation. It goes on to mention that the number of registered businesses has increased from 8,000 to 34,000 in three years; that the number of cell phone subscribers has increased from 1.4 million to 7.1 million; that the stores are stocked with goods, and that consumers are buying them; that taxes have been cut, government revenues are up and that oil revenues and foreign grants are estimated at $41 billion for the year just ended.

Moreover, "Iraq's official economic institutions are making progress," the Kurdish region in the north is booming and with the oil fields in the south increasingly secure, oil production revenues are projected to grow substantially. The Global Insight firm,which tracks international economic activity, estimates Iraq's GDP growth at 17 percent for 2005 and projected 13 percent for 2006. The World Bank's estimate is lower (four percent for 2006), but the fact that there is any economic growth at all in Iraq will come as a shock to most people.

The article does not gloss over the country's many problems-- the raging sectarian violence foremost among them. Unemployment is estimated at a minimum of 30 percent, but even here there is a silver lining as foreign investment from neighboring countries is pouring into Iraq because of cheap labor. The author notes that "there is a vibrancy at the grassroots that is invisible in most international coverage of Iraq."

Yet apparently those countries around the area, close to it, haven't got the same opinions.

Kuwait Times - Iraq On The Right Path

Generally speaking, the media worldwide report predominantly about the sensational, catastrophes, deaths, controversial statements by international personalities, wars, celebrity stories, gossip, rumours and the abnormal.

News about socio-economic success, development and progress is scantily tackled. A veteran German reporter told me this kind of news is boring for media consumers. People prefer the sensational. Hence, media providers fiercely compete to get hold of dramatic events. This is the kind of news that mesmerises people to the media. Commercial media, above all TV channels rejoice in reporting about wars and killing, the sooner the better. They rush to the scene of events and report live. "Thank God! At last something sensational is happening. Now we can make money (through commercials of course)." Commercial TV owners celebrate joyfully. Sensational events overshadow normal, ordinary, effective, humane achievements.

Had Mohammed Yunus not won this year's Nobel Prize for peace, no body would have taken notice of his great Mini-Loan Bank in Bangladesh which helped eradicate poverty for seven million people. International media used to report almost only about floods and poverty from Bangladesh. Yunus's work was ignored. It was not sensational enough. Commercial media live on the sensational, the weird, the bloody, the negative, the abnormal, and the controversial.

All this seems to apply to Iraq. We only hear and read bad news from Iraq: suicide and car bombs. Random killing, sabotage, and destruction are the only news we get from Iraq. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General describes the situation in Iraq as "worse than a civil war." Obviously he watches only CNN. But is Iraq really only killing and destruction?

An American businessman with links to major parts of Iraq told me another story of Iraq. While he admits that there is daily killing and destruction in Iraq, there is also construction, development, progress and freedom. Here are some of his facts: Slowly but steadily, "80 per cent of Iraqis are creeping (back) to (normal) life."

"Um Qasr, in the southeast extremity of Iraq on the Persian Gulf" which was deserted by the spring of 2003 is back to normal. "It is back in business as a port with commercial and military functions. "Hundreds of families have returned - joining many more who have come from all over Iraq."

"The boom in Um Qasr is part of a broader picture that also includes Basra, the sprawling metropolis of southern Iraq"

It's weird to consider that you have to interpret the news, and try to evaluate it by as much as what's NOT reported as what IS - but it sure seems like we're not seeing everything that's relevant.

And when you're deciding whether or not to cut loose 25 million people and leave them to the tender mercies of the head-hacking jackals, it makes sense (at least to ME) for you to learn as much as possible about what's going on - both pro AND con.

(You know, I have to wonder if the same standards were applied to LA and the gang problem they've got, would people be advocating abandoning LA?)

The folks at
PowerlineBlog also commented:

Power Line: Are you better off now than you were four years ago?

The other thing to keep in mind is that Iraq faced a day of sectarian reckoning regardless of the conduct of the United States. The Sunnis weren't going to be able to oppress the country's majority indefinitely. Ten, twenty, or thirty years down the road, all hell was going to break loose. One can argue that the U.S. would be better off to be nowhere in the vicinity at that time. But it's quite clear that Iraq is better off having the U.S. around to help limit the scope and intensity of the bloodshed.

J.

Text of President Bush's address - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

Good evening. Tonight in Iraq, the Armed Forces of the United States are engaged in a struggle that will determine the direction of the global war on terror — and our safety here at home. The new strategy I outline tonight will change America's course in Iraq, and help us succeed in the fight against terror.

I fully expect the Democrats to push through their symbolic vote plan, which Bush should ignore, then rail against Bush because he's not paying them any attention.

Frankly, this is looking a lot like the build-up to 1975 again. Will the Dems cut all funding to Iraq next year or the year after, as they did with Viet-Nam in '75? Or have they learned ANYTHING in the last 30 years?

I don't think they have. I believe they think that once Bush is out of office, they'll be able to roll the world situation back to '96 or '97 - occasional terrorist attacks, but nothing that's particularly serious. So we lose an occasional skyscraper - what's the problem? Better that than fighting a war against a malignant ideology, right?

Bush is promising to ease up on the rules of engagement. I predict howls from the left, about how insensitive and cruel we are. He's also promising to end support from Syria and Iran... good luck there. Any attempts to interdict materials are going to be met with a lot of opposition at home and abroad - figure that it'll be characterized as 'relief convoys' and 'busses of pilgrims going to holy shrines'. And the US will be blamed, of course.

Bush said "From Afghanistan to Lebanon to the Palestinian Territories, millions of ordinary people are sick of the violence, and want a future of peace and opportunity for their children. And they are looking at Iraq. They want to know: Will America withdraw and yield the future of that country to the extremists – or will we stand with the Iraqis who have made the choice for freedom? "

If it were up to Bush - we'd stand. If it's up to Pelosi and Co... we fold. That we'd have to do it all again in a few years means little to them. They hate Bush NOW - and that's the important part.

Which is why I think we're going to lose. We can't fight a three-sided war and win - especially when one side is one of our political parties. Pelosi & Co might think that getting rid of Bush is the most important thing now - but the future exists far beyond the 2008 elections, and the crap they're pulling now is severely affecting what's to come far down the road.

Update: Well. Maybe there's a chance.

Iraq PM tells Shiite militias to give up - Yahoo! News

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's prime minister has told Shiite militiamen to surrender their arms or face an all-out assault by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces, senior Iraqi officials said Wednesday, as President Bush said he will commit an additional 21,500 American combat troops to the war.

Under pressure from the U.S., Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to crack down on fighters controlled by his most powerful political ally, Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical Shiite cleric, according to officials. Previously, al-Maliki had resisted the move.

J.

Carter Palestine book spurs resignations - U.S. Life - MSNBC.com

ATLANTA - Fourteen members of an advisory board to Jimmy Carter’s human rights organization resigned Thursday to protest his new book, which criticizes Israeli policy in the Palestinian territories.
The resignations from The Carter Center board are the latest backlash against the former president’s book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid,” which has drawn fire from Jewish groups, been attacked by fellow Democrats and led to the resignation last month of Kenneth Stein, a center fellow and a longtime Carter adviser.

I'd tend to rethink my premises - but I do that rather regularly anyway...

J.

With the fall of the Soviet Union, a premise was floated in the military that we should be able to fight two wars at one time, if need be. These wouldn't be all-out USSR tank battalions through the Fulda Gap type wars, but instead would be relatively limited, short-duration warfare.

So we geared up for that two-war scenario... or geared down for it, depending on your point of view, and then GW1 came along. It proved the feasability of a lot of the concepts that had been developed - rapid airlift of large quantities of men and material being the primary one, along with a number of other things that had been in the books but not really tested. (Check out Pagonis's "Moving Mountains" for a good civilian overview of the logistics end of things.)

It also proved that when the US military machine was unleashed - there wasn't anything that could stand up to it. At least, not in a stand-up fight. And that's a problem.

It's very easy, and comforting, to believe that any enemy that might go up against the US is both stupid AND will adhere to the Geneva Accords. That they'll 'play by the rules', so to speak, and do what's required in regards to protection of non-combatants, observation of safe areas, and identification of combatants to separate them from non-combatants. And that's pretty much how things were planned out - because that's the way wars had been fought in the past... well, kind of.

Because, frankly, the idea that any country's military might go to war with rules that would seriously limit what they were able to do on the battlefield is a joke, right? Are you laughing yet?

When you go to war, you toss out the rule book. You're going in to WIN the war, not 'play fair'. That's been lost in this conflict, tossed out to fall by the wayside, at least until now.

As I see it, our problems are twofold. First - we've adhered scrupulously to the Geneva Accords, while our enemy hasn't. Second - we've been hamstrung by a civilian media and a political party that's determined to make sure that even the slightest shading of the Geneva Accords is not only investigated but convicted prior to the trial.

Yet our enemy hacks heads, targets civilians whenever possible, and has tossed out the rule book.. It's a trifle hard to fight something like that. Yet the insistance by some is that we HAVE to do it that way, that we MUST adhere to the Geneva Convention even against (perhaps especially against!) an enemy that doesn't see any reason to follow rules that would make them more visible.

We have a political party that's against the way Bush has been handling the war. It wouldn't be terribly extreme to say that they want a loss in Iraq - because it would hurt Bush. And they're doing to do whatever they can to facilitate that loss... all the while going "We'd LIKE to win in Iraq, but we just don't see any way it can be done! So we're going to cut funding, cut troop strength, cut whatever we need to actually FIGHT a war - but we'd really like to win!"

And our enemies eat that sort of shit with a spoon. All they have to do is wait, and they'll get what they want. (But there's that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for!")

We can fight a two-front war. We can't fight a war when one of our two political parties refuses to try to win, declaring quagmires and failures right from the start and aided and abetted by the media. A decade from now, two decades - will they be hailed as heros for pulling back? Or will they be seen as the villains who abandoned a fight that was close to being won?

Your call on that one... personally, I think if they get what they want re Iraq, they'll be out in '08. Of course, that won't help much when we have to do it all again in 10 years.

J.

The Dems want to raise taxes. What do you think will happen?

BREITBART.COM - Deficit Falls to Lowest Level in 4 Years

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The federal deficit has improved significantly in the first three months of the new budget year, helped by a continued surge in tax revenues.

In its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said Friday that the deficit from October through December totaled $80.4 billion, the smallest imbalance for the first three months of a budget year since The budget year ends Sept. 30.

Tax collections are running 8.2 percent higher than a year ago while government spending is up by just 0.7 percent from a year ago. Last year's spending totals were boosted by significant payments to help the victims of the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The Treasury said for December, the government actually ran a surplus of $44.5 billion, the largest surplus ever recorded in December and a gain that reflected a big jump in quarterly corporate tax payments.

The $80.4 billion deficit for the first three months of the current budget year was down 32.6 percent from the imbalance for the same period a year ago of $119.4 billion.

For the first three months of the current budget year, revenues total $573.5 billion, an increase of 8.2 percent from tax collections in the same period a year ago. Outlays totaled $653.9 billion, up 0.7 percent from a year ago.

J.

You're right. We aren't. Take a look at this.

Defence Internet | Defence News | Dispatches from Baghdad - a soldier's view on Iraq

There are also numerous signs of economic, health and communications development since the fall of Saddam. Just a few are listed below:

In 2005 alone, 98 percent of Iraqi children between 1-5 years old (3.62 million) were immunised against measles, mumps, and rubella.

Also in 2005, 97 percent of Iraqi children under five (4.56 million) were immunised against polio.

The average monthly teacher’s salary has increased from a pre-war amount of $2 a month, to $100 a month in 2006.

Since the ousting of Saddam Hussein, an additional one million children have enrolled in primary school.

Since the war, some 268 newspapers, 54 television stations, and 114 radio stations have officially registered. No independent newspapers, commercial television stations, or radio stations existed under the restrictive regime of Saddam Hussein.

Hundreds of Civilian flight operations from Baghdad International Airport each week.

Four mobile phone operators have now reached 7.2 million subscribers. This represents a dynamic expansion of Iraqi civil liberties as mobile phone usage was forbidden under Saddam’s regime.

There is now a record number of marriages taking place.

As for the Iraqi police, the Minister of Interior is putting all nine national police brigades through a transformation plan, which is designed to instill national allegiance and weed out corrupt elements.

In terms of Nation building, these are only small steps, but nevertheless are important and just maintain that independent momentum.

Iraq will not be completely free of violence - no country ever is. But as the Iraqis begin to learn to trust their security forces and actively work to rid the country of extremists, violence can be reduced to acceptable levels. Iraqis are making progress, and the Coalition Force remains steadfast in its support of Iraq through its transition to a more unified, secure, and prosperous country.

Can this still fail to meet our expectations? Of course it can. I personally do not believe that it will, and I am inclined to believe that greatness will eventually return to a country long overdue its sovereignty. But it would be a shame to fail simply because we all grew tired of trying."

J.

I've been reading Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass by Theodore Dalrymple. It's a collection of essays, drawn from his experience of 40 years of hospital and prison work.

It's gruesome stuff. The overwhelming pattern I'm seeing is that the English underclass has been carefully taught that whatever happens to them, whatever choices they make (or won't make, because NOT making a choice invariably leads to events happening anyway), that whatever they do - they're not responsible for it. They emphatically deny responsibility for their own situations, and when it's pointed out to them - they shrug. "What can you do?" they say in essence, and go back and do the same things that got them in trouble in the first place.

You might want to check it out. It's a compelling read - even if it'll leave you queasy in spots when you think about the implications of what a permanent underclass means for England - and the US. (Because we're working pretty damn hard at setting up our OWN underclass. You know what they say the road to Hell is paved with - and we've been producing a lot of paving stones in the name of progressive politics.)

J.

And the Insurgents are bugging out. Isn't that odd?

IRAQ THE MODEL

Insurgents and terrorists are already abandoning some of their positions in Baghdad and moving to Diyala, al-Sabah said:

In Diyala, politicians, religious and tribal figures demanded that their province be included in the security plan of Baghdad. This came after dozens of foreign Arab militants ran away from Baghdad to areas across Diyala in order to avoid raids by the Iraqi and American forces during the incoming security plan to secure Baghdad.

Eyewitnesses told al-Sabah that areas such as New Baquba, Gatoon and al-Zour in Miqdadiya have become convenient bases for terrorists and foreign al-Qaeda members from Egypt, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.

This movement of terrorists forced most of the families in these areas to leave either to neighboring countries or to the southern provinces.

The people are asking the interior and defense ministries and the MNF to seal the entrances and exits in order to contain and capture those terrorists in order for Baghdad's plan to succeed. In the same regard a knowledgeable security source stressed that the success of Baghdad's plan depends on the stability of surrounding provinces, especially Diyala…

And then do a MOAB test? That'd take care of the problem once and for all...

J.

Or to be more precise, half of Season 10...

Sigh.

I just ain't feelin' the love here, folks. The scripts aren't bad, the acting's okay, the whole grail quest thing though... that's not cutting it. I understand that SG-1 won't be picked up after Season 10 - I can only hope they resolve the plot line with the Ori...

On second thought, I'm not sure I really care if they do or not. (This broken season stuff, by the way, is hell on continuity. I mean, a 4-5 month hiatus? Come on, that's ridiculous. It's like getting tickets to the World Series and midway through the fourth game (with the score tied and 2 & 1 on the previous games) they stop the action and tell the audience that they're going to wait until spring training to finish the game and the rest of the World Series. But it'll be GREAT, trust us!) Maybe it's the fact I've got so many things going on, but I'm just going 'eh'. Oh, Carter's floating in space. Eh. Oh, they've got to shut down a super wormhole. Big whoop. Oh, Vala's lost. Yawn... Oh, they're about to be fried by a dragon in the cliffhanger at the end of the half season.

Sigh.

Nope, I think the wrapup at the end of Season 8 was really the end of the series, and it's just kind of staggering along now. I hate to feel that way, but...

Now, I'm STILL waiting for Stargate Atlantis Season 2 at NetFlix. I want to see how they resolve the cliffhanger from Season 2 with the Wraith attacking...

J.

Um, that is, if you're a politician depending on it to tank in order to create a sense of despair that you can take advantage of by promising to do something about it...

BREITBART.COM - Economists upgrade US outlook after surprisingly strong data

Economists are hastily upgrading their forecasts for the US economy after a series of surprisingly strong reports suggesting the so-called "soft landing" may be over and growth is accelerating.
Over the past week, surprises have come in stronger-than-expected reports on US job creation, the trade balance and retail sales -- all key contributors to economic activity.

Lehman Brothers chief US economist Ethan Harris on Friday boosted his forecast for fourth quarter 2006 growth to an annualized rate of 3.3 percent, a leap from the firm's prior call for just 2.0 percent growth.

"After slowing in November, the economy seems to have regained its stride," Harris said.

"With the last of the major data in, we are now revising fourth quarter GDP to an above-trend 3.3 percent. A wide range of indicators have been stronger than expected. Most important have been the strong consumption data and the surprising improvement in the trade balance."

J.

My Way News - Second Republican Opposes Bush Iraq Plan

WASHINGTON (AP) - A second Republican signed onto a Senate resolution on Wednesday opposing President Bush's 21,500-troop buildup in Iraq, setting a marker for a major clash between the White House and Congress over the unpopular war.

But that's just part of it. This is really more addressed at the left-leaning nutroots who helped push the Dems into power. And this is a result, but I wonder if they're thinking about the OTHER recipients of the message - the insurgents and jihadis? It's pretty clear now that they're VERY aware of the American political scene, and aren't at all adverse to staging events in order to influence it.

You can bet they're lovin' it. Loving the idea that they don't have to actually win, America will just slink off, tired of the fight!

And The Dems, like malignant pied pipers, will be whistling a merry tune as they lead us off a cliff.

J.

Charles puts his (carbon) foot in it | News | This is London

Prince Charles is to fly to New York, booking the entire first-class and business class section of a jumbo jet for his 20-strong entourage - to pick up an award for his work on the environment.
During the trip he plans to emphasise the importance which the British Government places on climate change as a key international priority.

One thing that's unvarying, however, is the self-absorbtion of the royals. Deciding to fly commercial instead of charter was a good move - but clearing out 40+ people in first class to do so was tacky. And if he'd REALLY been worried about carbon, why didn't he teleconference?

J.

Increase or not? It all depends...

Inside the Beltway�-�Nation/Politics�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

On Dec. 5, Newsweek magazine touted an interview with then-incoming House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Rep. Silvestre Reyes as an "exclusive." And for good reason.

"In a surprise twist in the debate over Iraq," the story began, Mr. Reyes "said he wants to see an increase of 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops as part of a 'stepped up effort to dismantle the militias.' "

"We have to consider the need for additional troops to be in Iraq, to take out the militias and stabilize Iraq," the Texas Democrat said to the surprise of many, "I would say 20,000 to 30,000."

Then came President Bush's expected announcement last week, virtually matching Mr. Reyes' recommendation and argument word-for-word -- albeit the president proposed only 21,500 troops.

Wouldn't you know, hours after Mr. Bush announced his proposal, Mr. Reyes told the El Paso Times that such a troop buildup was unthinkable.

"We don't have the capability to escalate even to this minimum level," he said.

And all of a sudden, the guy found a pair of stones. Bu-bye, Mookie!

Mahdi Army expressing siege mentality - Yahoo! News

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Mahdi Army fighters said Thursday they were under siege in their Sadr City stronghold as U.S. and Iraqi troops killed or seized key commanders in pinpoint nighttime raids. Two commanders of the Shiite militia said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has stopped protecting the group under pressure from Washington and threats from Sunni Muslim Arab governments.

The two commanders' account of a growing siege mentality inside the organization could represent a tactical and propaganda feint, but there was mounting evidence the militia was increasingly off balance and had ordered its gunmen to melt back into the population. To avoid capture, commanders report no longer using cell phones and fighters are removing their black uniforms and hiding their weapons during the day.

During much of his nearly eight months in office, al-Maliki has blocked or ordered an end to many U.S.-led operations against the Mahdi Army, which is run by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the prime minister's key political backer.

As recently as Oct. 31, al-Maliki, trying to capitalize on American voter discontent with the war and White House reluctance to open a public fight with the Iraqi leader just before the election, won U.S. agreement to lift military blockades on Sadr City and another Shiite enclave where an American soldier was abducted.

But al-Maliki reportedly had a change of heart in late November while going into a meeting in Jordan with President Bush. It has since been disclosed that the Iraqi leader's vision for a new security plan for Baghdad, to which Bush has committed 17,500 additional U.S. troops, was outlined in that meeting.

We'll see if the results are what are expected... but it looks pretty promising so far.

J.

That's encouraging. Doesn't have a snowball's chance - but what the heck - write your congresscritter and urge them to support it!

Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress)

H.R.25

Fair Tax Act of 2007 (Introduced in House)

Never mind that unemployment's very low and raising taxes would likely stall things out - it's more important that they show they 'care' than the economy do well. (Hmmm. For some reason, I flashed on 'Munchausens Syndrome by Proxy" when I wrote the last sentence, and came up with the following...

Munchausen's Syndrome is the condition we name when a person makes himself ill purposely often to get the attention and friendship of medical personnel. For example, a person that secretly injects himself with his own germs into the blood stream to make themselves sick and needs to be hospitalized on a regular basis will often see the same medical staff who feel sorry for this person with this strange disease. This person and the staff become friendly. However, after this happens three or more times, people become suspicious and catch the person doing this to himself. Sometimes people will die from making themselves ill. Once someone who has Munchausen's Syndrome is identified, psychological and psychiatric intervention is necessary.

Now, Munchausen by proxy is when a parent makes their child ill on a recurrent basis. This is child abuse. These infants will usually come to medical attention with the complaint of stopping breathing (apnea) with a color change. If this complaint from the parent is not taken seriously, the parent will often make the infant more ill before they see the doctor. Frequently, the infant is brought into the emergency room by ambulance after getting resuscitated by the paramedics. It is true that sometimes these babies do not survive the damage induced by the parent (usually only one parent is inducing the injury and the other is unaware). If there is no autopsy or death scene investigation, these infants can wrongly be labeled as SIDS. This is not often the case.

Most often, the infant will have recurrent episodes of this "illness" and seek medical attention with the same complaint. Doctors are aware of this Syndrome and are looking for this type of pattern. There may also be signs from the parent or a type of attitude that go along with this type of abuse.

Strange world, isn't it?

J.

My parents are using my house as their mailing address. As such - I'm getting my mother's magazines and my father's junk mail. I've already received permission from him to dump the get-rich-quick offers, which comprise most of it. That leaves my mother's magazine - the Enquirer, the Star, and one other the name of which mercifully escapes me at this point.

I'm rather agast at these things. Sure, they're a celebration of pop culture - but the culture they celebrate is that of the media star - of the Paris Hiltons and Brittany Spears of the world, caught in all their misbehaving 'glory'. A little of it goes a hell of a long way.

What is there about paparazzi and magazines like the Enquirer that seem to go for the cheapest shots and try to persuade us that the things they cover are really IMPORTANT, that this stuff matters? Who show bulges on midriffs, who'll gladly take photos of stars sans makeup and hair stylist attention and gleefully print them? What's the impulse that makes them do that - and why do folks find it so (apparently) interesting?

And HOW do all the male stars/objects of transitory interest seem to be sporting about a 4-day stubble? Is there a particular razor that'll give you a guaranteed seedy look?

Sigh.

It seems to me that they're debasing the coin they try to spend. What is an actor or actress or singer got but their talent? And these tabloids... when they get into the sleaze they're not looking at the talent. But then, the subjects of the pictures and articles aren't exactly worried about how they'll come across to their fans - they figure the job's locked in, so why be concerned?

Maybe the tabloids are just trying to show their subjects are simply people also? That they smoke, drink, do stupid things? (Never mind the characters they project on screen or stage - THAT'S simply an act, one they get paid well for.) So... Well, yeah - they're human. And it's all about the sales, isn't it? Get the eyeballs, get them to buy it at the checkout counter...

And the world gets a little uglier, when X's wrinkles or Y's stretch marks are plastered up in three-color glory or the details of V and B's split are hyped like crazy. Someone will buy it - so why not go ahead and publish it, right?

J.

CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rev. Jesse Jackson, a leader in the African-American community and two-time presidential candidate, told CNN Thursday he is all but certain to endorse Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Illinois, likely bid for the White House.

"All of my heart leans toward Barack," Jackson said. "He is a next-door neighbor literally. I think he's an extension of our struggle to make this a more perfect union."

"I will talk to all of them, but my inclinations are really toward Barack," he added.

(I've hear Hilary's already sharpening the knife for his back...) I predict a rather entertaining two years politically, as the contenders try to keep smiling while cutting each others' throats.

J.

Or not. Spotted this through another source, and I was kind of surprised.

Daily Kos: The First Rule

But this does raise an opportunity to discuss the First Rule of the Primary Wars. It is expected that there will be diaries criticial of any and all candidates during this time. No one can complain about that. Indeed, your candidate will not be our nominee unless he or she can survive our scruntiny. But, when writing such diaries critical of a candidate, you may not now or ever use source material that emanates from the right wing or Republicans to support your criticisms or attacks. (emphasis original - J.)
If your source is NewsMax, delete the diary.
If your source is Insight, delete the diary.
If your source is Drudge, delete the diary.
If your source is Free Republic, consider suicide.
Daily Kos will not be used as a Right Wing echo chamber, for they already have enough echo chambers of their own.

Man, and they accuse the right of groupthink...

Take a look at the comments - lots of folks saying this site or that should be blacklisted also. Even Instapundit! To be fair, there's some who say the information should be judged on it's own merit, and not by the source - but there's a whole lot of folks to whom the source is much more important than the information.

J.

How long the info stored on a thumb drive will last?

Just curious, and don't feel like dredging through the internet right now...

J.

No two countries with McDonald's restaurant have gone to war with each other, I'd say that we've pretty well eliminated the possibilities of clashes with Russia and China.

BREITBART.COM - McD's Preps for China Drive-Thru Boom

BEIJING (AP) -- McDonald's Corp. opened its first drive-through in Beijing on Friday, launching a partnership with a major Chinese oil company to exploit the country's growing taste for both cars and Western fast food.
The Beijing drive-through is the first in McDonald's venture with China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., which McDonald's China CEO Jeffrey Schwartz said would open 25 to 30 more in the next 12 to 18 months. Both gas stations and drive-throughs are booming as car purchases by newly affluent drivers speed China's change from a bicycle culture to a car culture.

Enjoy your day!

J.

We've already established that the UN's money wasn't exactly doled out in a responsible manner. So does this come as a surprise to you?

FOXNews.com - U.S. State Department Reveals North Korea’s Misuse of U.N. Development Program Funds and Operations - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News

Has North Korean leader Kim Jong Il subverted the United Nations Development Program, the $4 billion agency that is the U.N.’s main development arm, and possibly stolen tens of millions of dollars of hard currency in the process?

According to a top official of the U.S. State Department — using findings made by the U.N.’s own auditors — the answer appears to be a disturbing yes, so far as UNDP programs in North Korea itself are concerned.

And just as disturbingly, the U.N. aid agency bureaucracy has kept the scamming a secret since at least 1999 — while the North Korean dictator and his regime were ramping up their illegal nuclear weapons program and making highly publicized tests of intermediate range ballistic missiles.

Nothing was disclosed even to the UNDP Executive Board, which oversees its operations and is composed of representatives of 36 nations — including the United States and, this year, North Korea itself.

J.

Sword-wielding student wins - Education - MSNBC.com

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Rhode Island's education commissioner has ordered a high school to publish a yearbook photo showing a teenager with a sword.

The 17-year-old is a fan of the Middle Ages, so he wore chain mail and slung a prop sword over his shoulder for his senior portrait. Portsmouth High School officials rejected the picture, saying it violated their zero-tolerance policy on weapons.

The American Civil Liberties Union got involved. Its lawyers argued the school has allowed students to pose for more than a decade with props that show their interests, including musical instruments and horses.

Zero tolerance... gee. Hate to sound like an old fart, but they had skeet shooting as a PE elective one year in St. Louis. I think it was '73. They had shotguns on the school grounds, and NOBODY GOT HURT! Isn't that amazing!

J.

Isn't always your friend.

Officials: U.S. intel causes shift by al-Maliki - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki decided to drop his protection of the feared Shiite militia of a radical anti-American cleric after U.S. intelligence reports convinced him the armed group was deeply infiltrated by death squads whose actions were isolating him both in the Arab world and among moderate political forces at home, two government officials said on Sunday.

Al-Maliki's turnaround on the Mahdi Army was puzzling because as late as Oct. 31, he had intervened to end a U.S. blockade of Sadr City, the northeast Shiite enclave in Baghdad that is headquarters to the militia. It is held responsible for much of the sectarian bloodshed that has turned the capital into a battle zone over the past year.

But then, I'm cynical at times...

J.

My Way News - L.A. Vows Gang Crackdown After Kids Die

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A 14-year-old girl was killed by Hispanic gang members who police say were targeting blacks. A 9-year-old girl died after being hit by a stray bullet as gang members exchanged shots near her home. A cop was wounded in a gunbattle with a suspected gangster.

The soaring violence is prompting police and politicians to promise one of the toughest crackdowns against gangs in city history.

Alex Sanchez, a former MS-13 member who now runs a gang intervention program, said police moves to identify the worst gangs could instead lead to more crime.

"It's feeding the egos of gang members," Sanchez said. "They're all going to want to be on the top 10."

Others said nothing will change without more jobs and better education.

"Until we get those gangsters into real jobs, we are going to have a lethal ongoing problem, pure and simple," said Jorja Leap, a social welfare professor and gang expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, who advises the mayor. "It will never change."

Hell if I know. But we could just call it a quagmire and retreat. That'll solve the problem!

J.

Now we've got 21 declared Democr