SmooveJ
:: 4/30/2004 ::

Priorities

Keep up the good work, guys:
The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden's and Saddam Hussein's money, documents show.

In addition, the Office of Foreign Assets Control said that between 1990 and 2003 it opened just 93 enforcement investigations related to terrorism. Since 1994 it has collected just $9,425 in fines for terrorism financing violations.

In contrast, OFAC opened 10,683 enforcement investigations since 1990 for possible violations of the long-standing economic embargo against Fidel Castro's regime, and collected more than $8 million in fines since 1994, mostly from people who sent money to, did business with or traveled to Cuba without permission.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/30/2004 01:48:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/29/2004 ::

The H is O

Change for America brings the following excerpt of a Washington Post article to our attention:
We weren't looking for someone, but I thought this would be a talented guy we should hire, and he was available," Gow said. In early 1971, Gow gave Bush a job as a management trainee. He was required to wear a coat and tie and dispatched around the country and even to Central America, looking for plant nurseries that Stratford might acquire. The newly buttoned-down businessman also moved into a garage apartment that he shared with Ensenat off Houston's North Boulevard, an old 1920s neighborhood close to downtown.

"We traveled to all kinds of peculiar places, like Apopka, Florida, which was named the foliage capital of the world," said Peter C. Knudtzon, another Zapata alumnus who was Stratford's executive vice president and Bush's immediate boss.

Once or twice a month, Bush would announce that he had flight duty and off he would go, sometimes taking his F-102 from Houston to Orlando and back. "It was really quite amazing," Knudtzon said. "Here was this young guy making acquisitions of tropical plants and then up and leaving to fly fighter planes."

What the fuck? Am I reading this right? George W. Bush was flying a government-owned F-102 back and forth from his job locating "tropical plants" in Central America? Is this for real?

Interestingly, Change for America (the organization that's floating this information) is run by Joe Trippi. He's been referred to as "The Democratic Karl Rove" in some places. Last seen as Howard Dean's campaign manager, he has a long history in politics. A classic Trippi story comes from when he was a Walter Mondale operative during the 1984 primary against Alan Cranston. Somehow, tickets for a crucially important Jefferson-Jackson Day fundraising dinner in Iowa had been almost completely bought out by the Cranston campaign:
Trippi is nearly hysterical when he calls Campaign Manager Bob Beckel and Deputy Manager Mike Ford in Washington. "He speaks so fast, it was hard to keep up," Beckel recalls. "I said, 'Joe, What's the bottom line? What do you need?' He said, 'I just need permission to do whatever I need to do.' ... I just said OK." But there isn't a lot Trippi can do. He can try to get the Iowa Democratic Party to sell him more tickets. But there's no way they're going to sell him $275,000 worth, which is what Trippi estimates Cranston has bought. And, even if they would, there's no way he can afford to drop that kind of cash on an off-year event. When it comes down to it, Trippi is going to have to get his hands on tickets that have already been sold. Cranston tickets. Lots of them. And yet, once he accepts that proposition, the solution is almost elegant in its simplicity: What's to stop him from just marching right up to Cranston's people and asking for them?

"We started really early in the day," Trippi remembers, reflecting on how he and an Iowa colleague named Tom Cosgrove solved their JJ problem. "They stopped about three miles out [from] the staging area--the Mondale buses coming from Minnesota or wherever they were coming from." What follows is one of the most ambitious political makeovers in history. A team of Mondale aides, led by Cosgrove, plasters the bus with Cranston paraphernalia--stickers, posters, buttons, everything. Three miles down the road, the bus pulls up to the Cranston tent, where a Mondale/Cranston supporter gets out and tells a real Cranston aide he has 52 people on the bus. The aide looks up at the bus, surely admiring the military-like discipline that has brought a busload of Cranston supporters from "Los Angeles or wherever" out to the middle of Iowa this early in the day, and quietly congratulates himself. He promptly hands over 52 tickets.

And it continues like this, through bus after bus of Mondale supporters: Stop three miles up the highway, lather the bus in Cranston paraphernalia, drive on to the Cranston tent, claim your tickets. And the Cranston campaign just keeps forking them over. Happily. Hell, the more buses that show up, the more impressed the Cranston people are by their own handiwork. Never does it occur to them that these busloads of supporters aren't the genuine article. At least not until the real Cranston buses start showing up. "Twenty buses pull up, and they're out of tickets," Trippi says, still amused at the spectacle almost 20 years later. "More Cranston buses keep pulling up, and they don't have the tickets anymore." Score one for Walter Mondale.

It's going to be a long, hot summer for the Bush Campaign.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/29/2004 10:47:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Liquid Body Armor

This report just in from Tomorrowland:
Army scientists are working on a liquid body armor for clothing that stays flexible during normal use but can harden to stop a projectile when hit suddenly.

Researchers hope the liquid could be used in sleeves and pants, areas not protected by ballistic vests because they must stay flexible.

The liquid, hard particles suspended in a fluid, is soaked into layers of Kevlar, which holds it in place. Scientists recently had an archer shoot arrows at it to see how well the liquid boosted the strength of a Kevlar vest.

"Instead of the arrow going through the Kevlar, it is completely stopped by the Kevlar vest -- and sometimes just bounces right off," said Norman Wagner, a University of Delaware chemical engineering professor who is working on the project.

Vests treated with the liquid have also blocked stabs from an ice pick, and researchers are doing more tests to see if it can stop bullets or shrapnel, too.

[...]

Eric Wetzel, a mechanical engineer who heads the project team for the Army lab, said a "shear thickening fluid" is a key component of the liquid armor. Hard particles are suspended in the liquid, polyethylene glycol. At low strain rates, the particles flow with the fluid, enabling clothing to stay flexible. But when heavily strained, the particles become rigid.

"If it's impacted suddenly by a projectile or a knife, say, it rigidifies and somehow restricts the ability of the fabric to move," Wetzel said.

The transition happens very quickly, a millisecond or quicker.

Wetzel and Wagner are optimistic the liquid body armor will be useful to local police and prison guards -- and perhaps it could one day protect people in automobile and airplane crashes.

This futuristic substance is also known as "Oobleck" - a mystifying mixture of water and corn starch that has fascinated first graders since the dawn of time.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/29/2004 02:52:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Bush Compares Pro-Choice To Terrorists

Karen Hughes isn't the only one trying to draw a connection between 9/11 and the Pro-Choice movement, Chimpy has had at it as well. This is from his National Sanctity of Human Life Day proclamation, January 18, 2002:
"Unborn children should be welcomed in life and protected in law. On September 11, we saw clearly that evil exists in this world, and that it does not value life. The terrible events of that fateful day have given us, as a Nation, a greater understanding about the value and wonder of life. Every innocent life taken that day was the most important person on earth to somebody; and every death extinguished a world. Now we are engaged in a fight against evil and tyranny to preserve and protect life. In so doing, we are standing again for those core principles upon which our Nation was founded."

This was over 2 years ago, but I think it is still pertinent. September 11 has been a gift to this administration, while it was truly a tragedy for the rest of us. They have been able to bend it around to serve many of their political motives. I mean, engaged in a fight against evil and tyranny? Wow.

(Thanks to Matt for the post)

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/29/2004 01:33:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/27/2004 ::

George Bush Would Be So Proud

Afghanistans first execution took place today:
Afghanistan has carried out its first execution since the fall of the Taliban regime, putting a notorious former military commander to death with a bullet to the head, officials said Tuesday.

The April 20 execution remained secret for a week until it was revealed in a scathing report by Amnesty International, which accused powerful politicians of silencing Abdullah Shah before he could expose their human rights violations.

Jawed Ludin, a spokesman for President Hamid Karzai, said the Afghan leader signed Shah's death warrant reluctantly.

Karzai has commuted two prior death sentences, but was compelled by the heinous nature of the crime, Ludin said. Shah was convicted of killing one wife by pouring boiling water over her body and murdering his infant daughter by bashing her repeatedly against a wall.

Yeah, that's right. I don't believe in the death penalty. I think it's a sign of a backwards, barbaric culture. Obviously, pouring boiling water over people is wrong and bashing babies against walls is wrong. If anybody deserves the death penalty, it's this guy.

But nobody deserves the death penalty. Gandalf put it best when he said:
"Many who live deserve to die, and some who die deserve to live. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too quick to deal out death and judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends."

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/27/2004 03:56:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

And I Thought My Loans Were Bad

Steve Stanzak is an NYU sophomore. In order to cut expenses, he's been living in the NYU library for the past 8 months:
After convincing a relative to co-sign on a loan, Stanzak lived at University residence hall his freshman year.

But last summer he wasn't as lucky. Stanzak couldn't foot the $1,000 housing deposit and lost his family's support.

"My loans weren't approved with housing included," he said. "But when I dropped $15,000 in housing out of it, it worked."

The result: Stanzak could finance his education but was left without a place to hang his hat.

He then had an epiphany that would reshape his NYU experience.

"I heard a myth that somebody used to live in the library," he said. "Then I got to thinking, 'Why couldn't you do it?'"

That's certainly one way to deal with skyrocketing tuition costs...

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/27/2004 12:55:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Winning Their Hearts And Minds

This is what we do to looters.

Keep up the good work, boys.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/27/2004 12:49:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

What Did George Bush Do With His Medals?

I was just wondering.

Oh wait... maybe he keeps them in a little box with his Mensa certificates.


:: Little Brother is watching at 4/27/2004 11:12:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/26/2004 ::

Scary Thoughts

Jordanian police claim to have disrupted a major Al Qaeda plot:
Jordanian authorities said Monday they have broken up an alleged al Qaeda plot that would have unleashed a deadly cloud of chemicals in the heart of Jordan's capital, Amman.

The plot would have been more deadly than anything al Qaeda has done before, including the September 11 attacks, according to the Jordanian government.

Among the alleged targets were the U.S. Embassy, the Jordanian prime minister's office and the headquarters of Jordanian intelligence.

U.S. intelligence officials expressed caution about whether the chemicals captured by Jordanian authorities were intended to create a "toxic cloud" chemical weapon, but they said the large quantities involved were at a minimum intended to create "massive explosions."

[...]

In a series of raids, the Jordanians said, they seized 20 tons of chemicals and numerous explosives. Also seized were three trucks equipped with specially modified plows, apparently designed to crash through security barricades.

The first alleged target was the Jordanian intelligence headquarters. The alleged blast was intended to be a big one.

"According to my experience as an explosives expert, the whole of the Intelligence Department will be destroyed, and nothing of it will remain, nor anything surrounding it," [suspected ringleader] Azmi Jayyousi said.

[...]

A Jordanian government scientist said the plot had been carefully worked out, with just the right amount of explosives to spread the deadly cloud without diminishing the effects of the chemicals. The blast would not burn up the poisonous chemicals but instead produce a toxic cloud, the scientist said, possibly spreading for a mile, maybe more.

The Jordanian intelligence buildings are within a mile of a large medical center, a shopping mall and a residential area.

"And there is no one combination of antidote to treat nerve agent, choking agent and blistering agent," the scientist said.

Living in Washington DC, one can't help but think about this stuff when riding the Metro or walking around on the Mall with a million other people. Now, I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but the preceding story made me think about what would be required in order to pull off a stunt like this around here. Basically, all you'd need (besides the chemicals), would be a way to transport all the stuff:
Missing Tanker Truck Raises Terror Concerns

A gasoline tanker truck has been missing from a Pennsauken parking lot for more than a week, sending local officials and the FBI scrambling.

The New Jersey Office of Counterterrorism has asked all the state's law enforcement agencies to look for the truck.

"We don't know what the motive was behind the theft," FBI spokeswoman Linda Vizi said. "It could have been stolen by another individual in the fuel-hauling business. But we feel it's important to find it, find out who took it, and find out why it was taken."

Assuming you can get your hands on the chemicals and some method of delivery, the only other thing some crazy motherfucker would need would be a deep state of militant psychosis:
A letter purporting to come from Osama bin Laden's militant Islamist al Qaeda network said a big attack on the United States was in the final stages of preparation, a London-based Arabic newspaper said on Thursday.

"We bring the good news to Muslims of the world that the expected 'Winds of Black Death' strike against America is now in its final stage...90 percent (ready) and God willing near," the letter said.

The letter, signed by the Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades which said it is part of al Qaeda, was sent to the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper. A copy of the letter was faxed to Reuters in Dubai.

It was not possible to independently authenticate the letter.

Ugh. I need to go lie down.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/26/2004 06:28:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Photos from the March For Women's Lives

I've posted some photos I took at yesterday's march here.


:: Little Brother is watching at 4/26/2004 11:26:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/22/2004 ::

Noam Chomsky Enters the Blogosphere

Noam Chomsky's got a blog up and running called Turning the Tide. It looks like it's updated sporadically, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on:
Typically, military occupations are quite successful, even by the most horrendous conquerors. Take, say, Hitler's occupation of Western Europe and Russia's postwar occupation of Eastern Europe. In both cases, the countries were run by collaborators, security forces and civilian, with the troops of the conqueror in the background. There was courageous partisan resistance under Hitler, but without extensive foreign support, it would have been wiped out. In Eastern Europe, the US tried to support resistance (inside Russia as well) until the early 1950s, and of course Russia was in confrontation with the world dominant superpower. There are many other examples.


Consider, in contrast, the invasion of Iraq. It eliminated two monstrous regimes, one of which we are allowed to talk about, the other not. The first was the rule of the tyrant. The second was the US-UK imposed sanctions regime, which killed 100s of thousands of people, devastated the society, strengthened the tyrant, and compelled the population to rely on him survival -- probably saving him from the fate of other gangsters supported by the current incumbents in Washington, all overthrown from within; that was a plausible surmise before the war, and is even more so in the light of postwar discoveries about the fragility of Saddam's rule. The ending of both regimes was certainly welcome to the population. The US had enormous resources to reconstruct the ruins. Resistance had virtually no outside support, and in fact developed within largely in response to violence and brutality of the invaders.

It took real talent to fail.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/22/2004 08:50:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Woman loses her job over coffins photo

Remember this photo?





Well, the woman who took it has been fired:
A military contractor has fired Tami Silicio, a Kuwait-based cargo worker whose photograph of flag-draped coffins of fallen U.S. soldiers was published in Sunday's edition of The Seattle Times.

Silicio was let go yesterday for violating U.S. government and company regulations, said William Silva, president of Maytag Aircraft, the contractor that employed Silicio at Kuwait International Airport.

"I feel like I was hit in the chest with a steel bar and got my wind knocked out. I have to admit I liked my job, and I liked what I did," Silicio said.

Her photograph, taken earlier this month, shows more than 20 flag-draped coffins in a cargo plane about to depart from Kuwait. Since 1991, the Pentagon has banned the media from taking pictures of caskets being returned to the United States.

[...]

Maytag also fired David Landry, a co-worker who recently wed Silicio.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/22/2004 08:22:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/21/2004 ::

Are We Secure Yet?

Not only are we leaving Iraqi nuclear facilities unguarded, we also seem to be having a tough time keeping track of our own radioactive waste:
Two pieces of a highly radioactive fuel rod are missing from a Vermont nuclear plant, and engineers planned to search onsite for the nuclear material, officials said Wednesday.

[...]

Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan said it was possible the spent fuel was mixed in with a shipment of low-level nuclear waste and ended up at a repository in South Carolina, or a facility in Washington state. He said it was also possible it was taken to a nuclear testing facility run by General Electric, which designed the plant.

The material would be fatal to anyone who came in contact with it without being properly shielded, Sheehan said. Spent nuclear fuel also could be used by terrorists to construct so-called dirty bombs that would spread deadly radiation with conventional explosives.

But wait, there's more!
In 2002 a Connecticut nuclear plant was fined $288,000 after a similar loss. That fuel was never accounted for.

Whoopsies!!

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/21/2004 09:54:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

One Out of Two Ain't Half Bad

Oh man:
Maj. Gen. Martin Dempsey said that during the recent militia attacks, "about 50 percent of the security forces that we've built over the past year stood tall and stood firm," he said.

"About 40 percent walked off the job because they were intimidated. And about 10 percent actually worked against us," said Dempsey, describing that group as infiltrators.

Those damn infiltrators. I guess it's just a classic case of 23,000 bad apples spoiling the whole bunch.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/21/2004 06:43:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Zanzibar Outlaws Homosexuality

Here's a vacation idea for Rick Santorum:
Zanzibar's parliament unanimously passed a bill late on Tuesday to outlaw homosexuality, with jail terms of up to 25 years for gay relationships.

It will have to be approved by President Amani Karume to become law, but a close aide to Karume said the president would assent to the bill.

"There is great concern for the erosion of moral standards in Zanzibar," the aide said.

Not that it's the least bit relevant, but guess who's Zanzibar's most famous progeny:


Freddie Mercury (b. Farrokh Bulsara on September 5th 1946 in Zanzibar)

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/21/2004 11:53:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/20/2004 ::

Pointing the Bone

Sounds rather Clintonian to me:
Aborigines invoked an ancient curse on Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Tuesday by "pointing the bone" at the conservative politician to protest against his decision to scrap a top aboriginal body.

Aborigines believe that to point a kangaroo bone at someone is to bring that person ill fortune, and the black magic is strong enough to cause death.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/20/2004 03:57:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Coalition of the Hasta Luego

  • Spanish troops have already begun pulling out of Iraq.

  • Honduras Will Withdraw Soldiers From Iraq Early

  • 374 Salvadoran and 302 Dominican troops are due to be pulled out in July.

  • Thailand, which has more troops on the ground (451) in Iraq than Australia, says it will withdraw its medical and engineering troops from Iraq if they are attacked.

  • Colin Powell expects more countries may follow Spain's lead.

By the way... if you were thinking that Honduras is merely following Spain on their way out the door, then here's something to think about:
With the transfer of sovereignty to Iraqis scheduled to occur in 10 weeks, President Bush announced yesterday his selection of John D. Negroponte, a veteran diplomat, to serve as the first U.S. ambassador to Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's regime was toppled.

[...]

Negroponte was also the U.S. ambassador to Honduras in the 1980s, when army death squads held sway. He was later accused by human rights activists of having done little to limit the death squads' activities or to bring pressure to bear on the Honduran government.

[...]

In 1995, The Baltimore Sun published a series about a Honduran army unit that was trained and equipped by the CIA and that kidnapped, tortured and executed hundreds of suspected subversives during the 1980s. The articles showed that Negroponte had access to information about abuses committed by the battalion.

Not only is Negroponte's appointment a slap in the face to the Honduran people, it's also an unmistakable warning sign as to what may be about to go down in Iraq.

The Hondurans have seen what Negroponte is capable of, and I'm sure they don't want to have any part of it this time around.


UPDATE: For more information, here's Negroponte's wikipedia entry. It is a must read.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/20/2004 02:56:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Kerry/Dems raise almost TWICE as much money as Republicans in 2004

This news makes me feel all tingly inside:
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and his Democratic allies have raised almost twice as much money as the Bush-Cheney campaign so far this year, according to recent government filings.

The data show that despite the fears of many Democrats, their White House nominee likely will not be significantly hurt by his funding disparity compared to President Bush this election year. The figures also call into question the effectiveness of campaign-finance reform and whether it has in fact wrung special-interest money out of politics.

Twenty-one of the largest Democratic-allied 527 groups - named after a section of the tax code - raised nearly $57 million in the first three months of this year, according to reports filed last week with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and sorted by fundraising watchdog groups such as PoliticalMoneyLine.com and the Center for Public Integrity.

[...]

"Thanks to 527s, we will be outspent by the Democrats," said Mehlman, according to a participant who took notes of the meeting. "MoveOn.org is a huge threat and has hurt the president. Every action makes a difference."

I love how the republicans are trying to paint themselves as the underdogs on this one. Like there's any possible way that they can be "outspent". These guys have had unlimited money for the past 20 years, and they've finally met a challenger who might be able to keep up. THAT'S what they're afraid of, nothing more and nothing less.

Republicans know the only way they can win elections is to buy as much face time on TV and in newspapers as they can. Running on issues is not an option for them, because by definition the Republican party's interests lie with a minority of people (i.e. the very rich). Their only shot at victory comes via massive disinformation campaigns which can only be effective against an opponent who lacks the means to counter their lies on a broad scale.

For the first time, Democrats have coalesced around their party. Last weekend's MoveOn.org bake sales demonstrated structure and support on a scale that was previously known only to the GOP.

We're not going to be able to outspend the Bush Campaign, but we might be able to effectively counter the smear tactics the Republicans will be employing. Let's just hope that's enough.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/20/2004 02:30:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Columbine Dad Turned Away From NRA Event

On the fifth anniversary of the Columbine school shootings:
A man whose son was killed in the Columbine High School shootings literally walked in his child's shoes to the National Rifle Association convention, where he hoped Vice President Dick Cheney would address the federal assault weapons ban set to expire in September.

Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was killed with an assault weapon in the Littleton, Colo., killings five years ago Tuesday, said continuing the ban is common sense.

Assault weapons "are the weapons of gangs, drug lords and sick people," Mauser said before his three-block march to the convention, which runs through Sunday. "It is a weapon of war and we don't want this war on our streets."

[...]

Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry issued a statement before Cheney's address, saying "most voters don't know that (Bush and Cheney) are standing against major police organizations and breaking their promise to renew the assault weapons ban - which helps keep military-style assault weapons out of the hands of criminals and terrorists."

Mauser entered the convention hall where the NRA was meeting, but was turned away by a security guard as several conventioneers applauded. A couple of conventioneers yelled "Get a life" and "Vote for Bush."

"Get a life??"

Like, oh my God. That guy's kid was killed with assault weapons at a public high school. What a loser.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/20/2004 11:55:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Don't Feed the Homeless

Looks like it's illegal to feed the homeless in Tampa:
A group of young people, one toting a camcorder, gathered with friends Sunday afternoon across the street from Massey Park.
The tape rolled as police made three arrests at the park. All were charged with trespassing after ignoring repeated warnings not to feed the homeless without a permit.

James Ronald Dunson, 19, Christopher Robert Ernesto, 40, and Amberly Nicole Banks, 22, were arrested. Dunson faces an additional charge of resisting an officer without violence when he went limp, forcing the officers to pick him up to make the arrest.

Tampa police spokesman Joe Durkin said the three left officers little choice.

``We've given them plausible alternatives; however, they refuse to comply with the law,'' he said. ``The police have gone to great lengths to provide them with information on where the feeding can be done legally.''

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/20/2004 11:23:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/19/2004 ::

U.S. Marines engaged in 'silent war' near Syrian border

BAGHDAD – The United States has been fighting what officials term a silent war with Syria which killed at least five soldiers over the weekend.

U.S. officials said U.S. Marines have deployed along the Syrian border to stop the flow of insurgents and equipment to Iraq. They said marines have engaged with both Sunni insurgents as well as some Syrian security personnel along the border in clashes that have intensified over the last few weeks.

The U.S. military presence – increased by more than a third over the last two months – was said to be focused on the western Iraqi towns of Al Qaim and Qusaybah, regarded as key points in the smuggling of insurgents and weapons from Syria to Iraq.

Link.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/19/2004 01:36:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/16/2004 ::

Cheney's Wife Grilled by Third Graders

Link:
Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, faced some tough grilling Friday when she met American and South Korean third graders on a tour of a U.S. military base in Seoul.

Among the questions: "Do you like America or Korea?" and "Did your husband ever fight in a war?"

Mrs. Cheney stopped in at the Seoul American Elementary School on the sprawling Yongsan Army Garrison in the South Korean capital to give a short history lesson from her 2002 book "America: A Patriotic Primer."

I wonder why she didn't read from, her 1981 book Sisters? Oh wait, maybe because it's an erotic lesbian romance novel:
"Let us go away together, away from the anger and imperatives of men. There will be only the two of us, and we shall linger through long afternoons of sweet retirement. In the evenings I shall read to you while you work your cross-stitch in the firelight. And then we shall go to bed, our bed, my dearest girl."

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/16/2004 01:30:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/15/2004 ::

Insert 2000 words


April 15, 2004


---------------------------



April 6, 2004

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 06:02:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Probe Shows Iraq Nuke Facilities Unguarded

Holy Mother of Sweating Jesus:
Some Iraqi nuclear facilities appear to be unguarded, and radioactive materials are being taken out of the country, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency reported after reviewing satellite images and equipment that has turned up in European scrapyards.

The International Atomic Energy Agency sent a letter to U.S. officials three weeks ago informing them of the findings. The information was also sent to the U.N. Security Council in a letter from its director, Mohamed ElBaradei, that was circulated Thursday.

The IAEA is waiting for a reply from the United States, which is leading the coalition administering Iraq, officials said.

The United States has virtually cut off information-sharing with the IAEA since invading Iraq in March 2002 on the premise that the country was hiding weapons of mass destruction.

No such weapons have been found, and arms control officials now worry the war and its chaotic aftermath may have increased chances that terrorists could get their hands on materials used for unconventional weapons or that civilians may be unknowingly exposed to radioactive materials.

According to ElBaradei's letter, satellite imagery shows "extensive removal of equipment and in some instances, removal of entire buildings,'' in Iraq.

In addition, "large quanitities of scrap, some of it contaminated, have been transfered out of Iraq from sites'' previously monitored by the IAEA.

[...]

The IAEA has been unable to investigate, monitor or protect Iraqi nuclear materials since the U.S. invaded the country in March 2003. The United States has refused to allow the IAEA or other U.N. weapons inspectors into the country, claiming that the coalition has taken over responsibility for illict weapons searches.

OK, this is getting out of hand. Ha ha, our President's a retard who can't pronounce the word "instigate" or testify in front of the 9/11 commission without a grown-up. Tee hee. Laugh it up, America.

Meanwhile, nuclear materials are being taken from Iraq and no one is there to stop it from happening. This is beyond Democrats vs. Republicans. Believe it or not, that crap doesn't actually matter. Sometime in the near future a nuclear weapon is going to be detonated in a major Western city and we'll still be talking about PDBs and gay marriage.

Could someone maybe take a few minutes out from the partisan bitch-slapping and make a phone call or something? Maybe have somebody in Iraq go out and put up a fucking fence around the radioactive shit? I mean, what the hell is going on here?

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 06:00:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Stay Tuned

It's only going to get worse:
A Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier who police say robbed a bank and then surrendered just wanted to go to jail, Keokuk police said. "He told us he couldn't take it any more," police Capt. Kevin Church said.

"The robbery wasn't for financial reasons. He wasn't doing it because he needed the money, and we know he didn't want to hurt anybody. He wanted to be in a cell."

Master Sgt. Kenneth Lee Schweitzer, 38, of Louisville, Ky., walked into the Keokuk Savings Bank in southeast Iowa about 3 p.m. Tuesday, fired a large caliber handgun into the air and demanded cash, police said.

Schweitzer, a member of the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, left the bank, climbed into his pickup truck and drove to the police department, where he turned himself in.

"He also said the exact reason for robbing the bank was personal," Church added. "He said, 'The only thing I can live in is an 8-by-8 cell.' He realized he was going to jail and he's prepared to do so."

We'll also be seeing quite a bit more of this:
Two American soldiers have deserted, claiming asylum in Canada rather than serve in Iraq. They argue that the war is illegal under international law.

Man. This stuff is really bumming me out.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 05:51:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Good News From Africa

Just when you thought everything was completely fucked up, here comes a brilliant invention from Nigeria.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 05:35:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

More Info On Sapphire

I seem to be getting a lot of hits from SAPPHIRE-related searches today, so here's a bit more on the Water That Isn't Wet:
Tyco Fire & Security announced today a groundbreaking advancement in fire protection technology with the introduction of its ANSUL® SAPPHIRE(TM) Fire Suppression System. This revolutionary technology utilizes a new sustainable* chemical agent that fights fires without causing any damage to electronics, works of art, irreplaceable artifacts and other critical assets. This system provides the ideal solution for hospitals, museums, libraries, telecommunications centers and other facilities seeking to protect critical assets that could be damaged by ordinary fire suppression systems.

The SAPPHIRE Suppression System uses 3M® NOVEC(TM) 1230 Fire Protection Fluid. It looks exactly like water, but does not cause the type of damage associated with water when putting out a fire. It can be used to protect rare exhibits, electronic equipment and other delicate items without causing any harm. In fact, items can even be immersed in the agent. The fire protection fluid will quickly evaporate, safeguarding these items -- and leaving them unaffected.

The SAPPHIRE Suppression System chemically interferes with the fire combustion process, therefore bringing it to a halt. It also works faster than a water sprinkler system, which is designed to work when it detects an actual flame. SAPPHIRE Suppression Systems detect fire at invisible levels, identifying particles of combustion before they turn into damaging flames.

[...]

Other benefits of the SAPPHIRE System include an atmospheric lifetime of only five days, versus 33 years for the closest chemical alternative, as well as zero ozone depletion. In addition, the SAPPHIRE Suppression System offers the greatest safety margin over other non-sustainable halocarbon alternatives.

Apparently they've been demonstrating it on various morning talk shows where people have been dunking their heads in vats of SAPPHIRE and coming up with totally dry hair. Sounds like pretty cool stuff, but I still want to know whether or not it's going to revolutionize bong-related program activities.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 01:47:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

But Who's Counting?

During Tuesday's press conference, Bush repeatedly referenced "50 tons of Mustard gas found at a turkey farm in Libya." Along with being a perfect setup for a Homer Simpson line, Bush's claim is also totally inaccurate:
While struggling unsuccessfully this week to think of a single mistake he has made since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, President Bush committed three factual errors about weapons finds in Libya, the White House said on Wednesday.

[...]

"They could still be there. They could be hidden, like the 50 tons of mustard gas in a turkey farm," said Bush, referring to Libya's voluntary disclosure of weapons in March.

The next day, the White House said the accurate figure for the Libyan mustard gas was 23.6 metric tons, or 26 short tons, not 50 tons.

Moreover, the substance was found at different locations across Libya, not at a turkey farm. And observers did not find mustard gas on the farm at all, but rather unfilled chemical munitions, the White House acknowledged.

Has this guy ever been right about anything?

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 01:33:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Bake Sale for Democracy

I know it's short notice, but MoveOn.org is holding a nationwide Bake Sale for Democracy on Saturday.
On Sat., April 17, all across the country, thousands of people will organize bake sales to raise money for MoveOn PAC's campaign to Take Back the White House. While George Bush raises money mostly from wealthy donors, we will demonstrate the broad-based grassroots support supporting MoveOn PAC and John Kerry.

There are about 15 going on within a 10 mile radius of my house, and I've signed up for one at Eastern Market. I also noticed the event at Dupont Circle has about 70 people signed up for it so far.

I bake a mean batch of brownies, and a few people at work have volunteered some goodies, so it should be good fun. I'll try to issue a full report over the weekend.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/15/2004 01:12:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/14/2004 ::

A Busy Person's Guide to the Bush Press Conference

In case you missed Bush's press conference last night, here's a quick summary.

Check it out. It's perfect.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/14/2004 03:20:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Iraq Update

  1. The Washington Post reports that the truce in Fallujah has been broken. And the New York Times tells us that the situation has officially entered the David v. Goliath stage:
    That same day, Brent Bourgeois, a 20-year-old lance corporal from Kenner, La., said he had seen an American helicopter fire a missile at a man with a slingshot.

    "Crazy, huh?" the corporal said.


  2. At least 82 US troops have been killed and 560 wounded so far in of April, giving us the deadliest month since American boots hit the ground in Iraq.



  3. US troops prepare to mount an assault on the "Shiite Vatican":
    NAJAF, Iraq - A 2,500-strong U.S. force, backed by tanks and artillery, pushed to the outskirts of the Shiite holy city of Najaf on Tuesday for a showdown with a radical cleric...

    The top U.S. commander in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, said their mission was to "capture or kill" radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

    American units set up a cordon on approaches to the city, barring militiamen from leaving.

    Some 2,500 U.S. troops were massed outside of the city and commanders met Tuesday to review battle plans.

    "We have consolidated north of Najaf and are preparing for combat operations," said Maj. Gen. John R. S. Batiste, commander of the 1st Infantry Division.


  4. And finally, remember this "hearts and minds" photo? Well, it looks like it's under investigation by the Pentagon.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/14/2004 08:55:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Yet Another Argument For Universal Health Care

Beyond sad:
Thomas Hamill's neighbors knew all too well about the hard times that drove the gentle family man to sell off his dairy herd and take a high-paying but dangerous job in Iraq, where he has been missing since he was abducted last week.

"This is a small town. It hits us hard. God bless him, he's just trying to make a living for his family," said longtime resident Marion Gilbertson.

Hamill fought hard to keep the dairy business that had been in his family for three decades, working long, exhausting hours to pay off loans to the Merchants & Farmers Bank, friends said.

But he needed to find a way to raise his two young children and pay for heart surgery needed by his wife, Kellie.

He sold his cows and milking equipment, and last September the 43-year-old volunteer firefighter signed on to drive a fuel truck for a year in Iraq for up to $120,000, tax free.

Last Friday, he was captured by gunmen who attacked a convoy. They threatened to kill Hamill unless U.S. troops stopped attacking the city of Fallujah by a Sunday morning deadline. The deadline passed and there has been no word on his fate.

Imagine that - a farmer has to sell off his farm and sign up to drive a truck in Iraq so that his wife can get heart surgery. Only in America.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/14/2004 08:27:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/13/2004 ::

The Implications Are Endless

Scientists Make "Water" That Doesn't Get Things Wet

A new chemical concocted by scientists at the Tyco's Fire and Security Division looks and acts just like water except for one thing... it doesn't get things wet.

During Tuesday's Good Morning America, a representative of Tyco Fire and Security displayed the amazing properties of the chemical that's called "Sapphire."

The chemical has all the firefighting properties of water, yet it will not cause the damage to items that is usually associated with water.

As part of a demonstration, Pelton submerged several items into a tank of Sapphire that was on the Good Morning America set. Books did not get wet. Electronics were not be destroyed. Items that were submerged in the liquid were dried in a matter of seconds, and showed no ill effects according to Charles Gibson, Diane Sawyer and other members of the Good Morning America staff who saw items plunged into it.

Wet T-shirt contests will never be the same.

No, but seriously, what happens if you put it into a bong?

All kidding aside though, if they can invent water that isn't wet, why not just invent fire that doesn't burn? Or an economic recovery without jobs? Or a supreme court justice who's against freedom of the press?

I could go on, but I'm sure your mind is already reeling.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/13/2004 10:49:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Just to Make Things Absolutely Clear

Dick Cheney is still making money from Halliburton:
Vice President Dick Cheney received $178,437 in deferred pay last year from Halliburton Co., the Texas oil-field services company he once headed that has since received billion-dollar government contracts in Iraq.

[...]

Cheney reported $198,600 in vice-presidential salary for the year.

In case you missed it, Cheney is the ex-CEO of Halliburton, a company that is currently under investigation for overcharging the U.S military for fuel supplies in Iraq, among other things.

In other words, he's made almost as much from his ties to a war-profiteering company as he has from the Vice Presidency.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/13/2004 10:28:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

A Question for Tonight's Press Conference

"Mr. President, recent reports indicate that of the approximately 600 Iraqis who have been killed in the US offensive on the town of Fallujah, 160 were and women and 141 were children.

So, question: if any of the dead women were pregnant, were their unborn babies included in the figure of 141 children killed?"


:: Little Brother is watching at 4/13/2004 04:47:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

If That Train Jumps Off the Track...

You don't see headlines like this every day:
Russian train mysteriously disappears

Yamalo-Nenetsky region is currently investigating mysterious disappearance of a passenger train with people on board.

Head Engineer: David Blaine.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/13/2004 03:41:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Halliburton Suspends Some Iraq Supply Convoys

This is why using private companies to supply our forces is a bad idea:
Halliburton Co. has suspended some convoys delivering supplies to the military in Iraq due to escalating violence, U.S. Army and company officials said Monday, raising the danger of shortfalls in food, fuel and water supplies if the situation continues.

[...]

Peter W. Singer, a scholar at the centrist Brookings Institution in Washington who has written a book on military contractors, said the decision to suspend deliveries revealed one of the risks involved with private contractors.

The military can order soldiers to perform tasks, but contractors in Iraq are free to make their own decisions about security risks. While the U.S. can eventually hold a company responsible, there is no immediate recourse to force a civilian worker to do a job.

"There is no legal jurisdiction over these personnel to order them the way the military does a soldier," Singer said. "That's why these gaps in service are quite dangerous."

Obviously, this should rank somewhere between the outrageous price of gas and Janet's nipple on the outrage scale. I'd like to think the press whores will ask Bush about it tonight, but I know better...

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/13/2004 02:38:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/12/2004 ::

Ted Rall

U.S. military: 76 troops die in Iraq fighting this month

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/12/2004 11:09:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Winner of the Day

Remember that British guy who sold everything he had and bet it all on red?
A GAMBLER who staked everything he owned on one spin of a roulette wheel won 155,000 pounds yesterday.

Ashley Revell sold all his possessions to raise 77,000 pounds - and put the lot on the ball stopping on red in a Las Vegas casino.

He watched it bobble for several heart-stopping moments before it landed on red seven, doubling his money.

The Londoner, 32, punched the air with delight and said afterwards: "That was the most amazing experience ever in my life.

"I can't describe my feelings going through that." His parents were at the Plaza Hotel and Casino for the amazing bet, shown on Sky One last night.

Ashley, who tipped a croupier 400 pounds, added: "It’s down to Mum and Dad. I knew, even if I lost, I’d always have a home to go to."

Pure balls.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/12/2004 07:49:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/10/2004 ::

Faces of the Fallen

Like our President, I'll be taking the rest of the weekend off. I leave you with this, courtesy of American Leftist:


Faces of the Fallen



(click for hi-res version)

American deaths in Iraq since war began: 648

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/10/2004 12:49:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/09/2004 ::

A Question of Reality

The following versions of reality, submitted for your examination:
Scenario One (presented by Donald Rumsfeld)

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld promised "robust military action" to deal with the rise in violence in Iraq in the past week.

"There are those who don't want Iraq to be free," Rumsfeld said at a Pentagon press briefing Wednesday. "They are trying to stop progress towards freedom and self-government. We will not allow them to succeed."

[...]

Rumsfeld denied any loss of control in Iraq in response to a question and took umbrage with the term "pitched battles." He said the number of opposition fighters were small and not an "army" or even "large elements," but merely a "mixture of a small number of terrorists, a small number of militias, coupled with some demonstrations and some lawlessness."

Scenario Two (presented by News Limited Australia)

THOUSANDS of Sunni and Shiite Muslims forced their way through US military checkpoints Thursday to ferry food and medical supplies to the besieged Sunni bastion of Fallujah where US marines are trying to crush insurgents.

Troops in armoured vehicles tried to stop the convoy of cars and pedestrians from reaching the town located 50 kilometers west of Baghdad.

But US forces were overwhelmed as residents of villages west of the capital came to the convoy's assistance, hurling insults and stones at the beleaguered troops.

Some 20 kilometers west of Baghdad, a US patrol was attacked just moments before the Iraqi marchers arrived. Armed insurgents could be seen dancing around two blazing military vehicles.

Two US Humvees tried to stop the marchers but were forced to drive off as residents joined the marchers, shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greater).

US troops again blocked the highway further west, but were forced to let the Iraqis past as they came under a hail of stones.

I report, you decide.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/09/2004 03:52:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Kerry On Iraq

There's been quite a bit of clamoring for John Kerry to make a statement on the current situation in Iraq. A lot of people see it as a perfect opportunity to hit Bush early and hard on national security - his self-declared "greatest strength". Part of me agrees, and would like nothing more than to see Kerry slam the crap out of Bush for making what has become an unprecedented foreign policy mistake.

However, this Salon article highlights the rationale behind Kerry's silence:
A Kerry spokesman told Salon on Thursday that it's incumbent on Bush -- not Kerry -- to address the crisis in Iraq. "What has the president said about this?" the Kerry spokesman asked. "He needs to explain what his policy is, what his plan is to address what's going on right now. But he's been down on his ranch in Crawford. The spotlight isn't on John Kerry. The spotlight needs to be on Bush. He's the president, and he's the person who has carved out these policies."

As much as it pains me to see Bush teeter on the edge without delivering the knockout punch, this strikes me as a very astute position for Kerry to take. George Bush rushed into this war without any forethought whatsoever, and the current situation is wholly due to his rash behavior. By keeping out of the fray, Kerry illustrates that, he, contrary to Bush, is capable of recognizing a complex problem. There is no simple solution to the Iraqi mess, and Kerry would be a fool to pretend otherwise.

Besides, it doesn't really matter what John Kerry would do because he's not the President yet. As November draws closer it will be necessary for Kerry to come up with a plan, but for right now all eyes should be on Bush. George W. Bush is the one responsible for this magnificent failure of a war. He got us into this, and I for one, would like to see if he has any ideas on how to get us out.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/09/2004 03:26:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Remember This Guy?




Well he hasn't forgotten about us:
North Korea said Friday the standoff over its atomic ambitions was on the brink of nuclear war as US Vice President Dick Cheney headed to the region for talks with key Asian allies.

The Stalinist state's official news agency accused Washington of "driving the military situation on the Korean peninsula to the brink of a nuclear war" with plans for a pre-emptive strike on North Korea.

[...]

In the commentary the North Korean news agency said Pyongyang had no choice but to boost its nuclear weapons drive in the face of US intransigence and its "moves to put the strategy of pre-emptive nuclear attack into practice."

Luckily, Dick Cheney's heading over to the Korean peninsula to smooth things out. Thank God we've sent a calm, reasonable man who has a long history of creating peaceful resolutions to intractable problems.

Oh wait. They mean this Dick Cheney:





Nevermind. We're fucked.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/09/2004 03:03:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

President Bush: AWOL From His Own War?

It's been a busy couple of days. I'm moving the site over to a new server, and trust me when I tell you that it's no picnic. Posts may be sparse for a while, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who's been hard at work lately. Here's a quick snippet of what's been happening:
  • Main Iraqi Military Developments

    1. Fallujah: Ten Iraqi insurgents and two US soldiers were killed as marines met ferocious resistance. As the day drew to a close, sniper fire and mortars were being fired around the main marine compound in the industrial area on the eastern edge of town.

    2. Baghdad: Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr's militia, the Mehdi Army, vowed to resume combat against US-led occupation forces, after US tanks and gunships destroyed the group's main headquarters in the capital. Some 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of the capital, a US patrol was attacked and armed insurgents could be seen dancing around two blazing military vehicles.

    3. Baghdad: Five Iraqis killed and 18 wounded by a makeshift bomb on a fruit stand that went off in the town of Baladrooz, 60 kilometers (40 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. The blast killed five passersby and wounded 18 other people, police said. Six cars were also destroyed.

    4. Samarra: Fighting broke out between US troops and unknown gunmen. Protestors fired rocket-propelled grenades at the headquarters of the US army and Iraqi paramilitary forces in the city, triggering retaliatory fire. Earlier, mosques urged people to show solidarity with the residents of Fallujah.

    5. Karbala: The United States sent 120 troops to help Bulgarian troops in Karbala deal with the escalating conflict, after Sadr's militia issued an ultimatum to occupation forces to quit the holy city. The Polish army said its troops were meeting with moderate Shiite clerics to try to ease tensions, adding that patrols had been suspended within the town for the soldiers' protection.

    6. Kut: The US commander of ground troops in Iraq, Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, said his troops will retake the central Iraqi city "imminently".
      1,300 Ukrainian soldiers evacuated their base in the city under US protection on Wednesday, leaving it a militia stronghold.

    7. Najaf: The inner part of the holy city remains under control of the Mehdi Army, including police stations and government buildings. Hospital officials said 10 Iraqis were killed and 20 wounded in clashes there on Wednesday.

    8. Samawa: Japanese troops in the southern Iraqi town have temporarily halted humanitarian operations amid reports they have come under attack for the first time.



    An Iraqi insurgent walk past a blazing vehicle after it was destroyed in the Baghdad suburb of Abu Ghraib April 8, 2004



  • Afghan Renegade Continues Advance Despite Talks

    The Afghan government tried on Friday to persuade a renegade adviser to President Hamid Karzai to withdraw forces that overran a remote northern province in a fresh challenge to the U.S.-backed government.

    General Abdul Rashid Dostum's largely ethnic Uzbek militiamen invaded Faryab from neighboring provinces on Wednesday. They took over the provincial capital Maimana on Thursday, forcing the governor and provincial military commander Mohammad Hashim Habibi to flee.

  • Three Japanese Civilians Held Hostage

    Seven South Koreans, three Japanese and a Briton have been seized in Iraq and militants have threatened to burn the Japanese alive unless their country withdraws its troops.

  • MSNBC: A Bureaucrat Testifies In Front of the 9/11 Commission

    Republicans who had been hoping that Condi Rice would calm the political waters with her testimony to the 9/11 commission have to be disappointed. Stylistically and tactically she was serviceable. Her voice seemed to quaver at times, but overall she was a confident master of detail, choosing, for the most part, to praise rather than confront the accusatory Richard Clarke. But the larger picture she painted of herself, her president and the administration certainly won't help George W. Bush's re-election chances.

Iraq is in shambles, Afghanistan continues to fall apart, and the National Security Advisor has absolved herself of any responsibility relating to our nation's security. Not to mention the fact that the US is currently running record deficits, huge trade imbalances, plummeting currency rates, etc. etc. Even the most optimistic American must be concerned about the present state of affairs.

Luckily, we've got a President who knows what to do in times of crises. When the going gets tough, as they say, the tough go on vacation:
This is Bush's 33rd visit to his ranch since becoming president. He has spent all or part of 233 days on his Texas ranch since taking office, according to a tally by CBS News. Adding his 78 visits to Camp David and his five visits to Kennebunkport, Maine, Bush has spent all or part of 500 days in office at one of his three retreats, or more than 40 percent of his presidency.

[...]

Bush spent the morning watching national security adviser Condoleezza Rice's televised testimony to the commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, then toured his ranch with Wayne LaPierre Jr., chief executive of the National Rifle Association, and other leaders of hunting groups and gave an interview to Ladies' Home Journal. He is not scheduled to appear in public until Sunday, when he will visit nearby Fort Hood, the home base for seven soldiers recently killed in Baghdad.



President Bush leads a tour of Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas with wildlife conversation leaders and sportsmen leaders, Thursday, April 8, 2004.


This editorial from today's New York Times puts it better than I ever could:
Condi Rice was in Washington trying to pass her oral exam before the 9/11 commission yesterday, and the president was on vacation in Texas. As usual, they were in close agreement, this time on the fact that neither they nor anyone else in this remarkably aloof and arrogant administration is responsible for the tragic mess unfolding in Iraq, and its implications for the worldwide war on terror.

The president called Ms. Rice from his pickup truck on the ranch to tell her she had done a great job before the panel.

It doesn't get more surreal than that.

Mr. President, there's a war on. You might consider hopping a plane to Washington.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/09/2004 09:21:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Red or Black?

Things are about to get mighty interesting for this guy:
A British man who has sold all his possessions, including his clothes, will stand in a rented tuxedo on Sunday and bet everything on a single spin of the roulette wheel.

If he wins, he doubles his money. If he loses, he will be left with only the television crew documenting his every move.

Ashley Revell, a 32-year-old Londoner, said he was worth about 75,000 pounds ($138,000) after he sold everything in March.

[...]

He had not decided yet whether to place his money or red or black on Sunday afternoon.


"I don't know man," he said. "One of them is going to be the right thing to say and one is going to be the wrong thing."


He added that if he won he would probably take his winnings rather than spin again.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/09/2004 07:42:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/07/2004 ::

Fire Map

Debka gives us a pretty good map of the conflict(s):

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/07/2004 01:35:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Iraq Roundup

In case you missed it, here's some key Iraq-related information:
  • 12 Marines, 66 Iraqis Killed in Fierce Battles

  • Saddam being held in Qatar
    Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is being held at a US military base in Qatar, rather than in Iraq, a British newspaper said.

  • Muslim Rivals Unite In Baghdad Uprising
    BAGHDAD, April 6 -- On the streets of Baghdad neighborhoods long defined by differences of faith and politics, signs are emerging that resistance to the U.S. occupation may be growing from a sporadic, underground effort to a broader insurrection by militiamen who claim to be fighting in the name of their common faith, Islam.

  • Fallujah security situation worsening
    This link is a transcript from an Australian station. It's worth a read, if only to get an idea of how chaotic things must be in Iraq right now.

  • Nader calls for Bush to be impeached over Iraq war

  • Bill O'Reilly says we should get out of Iraq.

  • And finally, President Bush will be on vacation for the rest of the week:
    "MR. McCLELLAN: It will be after his remarks, before departing the community college. Then the President makes remarks in Charlotte at a Bush-Cheney 2004 luncheon. Then we depart for St. Louis.

    And in St. Louis, the President looks forward to throwing out the opening day pitch for this game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers. Following the opening pitch, the President will also participate in a live interview with Fox Sports Midwest. And then he will also participate in an interview with Mike Shannon, who is the co-anchor for Cardinals baseball on KMOX. And then we go to Crawford for the rest of the week."

Information is currently coming out of Iraq at a slow trickle. Much of this can be attributed to the news blackout that seems to have taken effect:
"On MSNBC TV News (Keith Olberman's nightly show)

I just learned the following on coverage of Operation Vigilant Resolve:

Because of the danger and the nature of the operation (the closing off of the roads, etc.)

Coverage has been assigned to a small embedded "pool" of reporters.

(When a "pool system" is in effect, those selected reporters agree to share their raw data/notes/reporting with everyone else.)

MSNBC played a phone message from one (so in effect they admit that they do not have anyone on the scene):

Lourdes Navarro of the Associated Press."

Furthermore, the same media that was giddy with girlish anticipation over "Shock and Awe" one year ago is now sheepishly silent on what's arguably been the single worst day of the war. On CNN last night at 10PM EST we had Larry King's gab fest. MSNBC featured notable non-expert Barry Manilow. And Fox brought us the laughably retarded Hannity and Colmes.

Obviously, our media will be useless over the next few weeks. I'd recommend reading as much as possible from foreign outlets such as the BBC and ABC (the Australian Broadcasting Company).

I mean, Barry Manilow? Can you believe that shit?

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/07/2004 08:51:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/06/2004 ::

Funny Guy

What a comedian!:
EL DORADO, Ark. April 6 � President Bush has a penchant for dishing out good-natured insults, and usually the victim laughs along. But Sammie Briery didn't seem much amused when Bush fired one at her Tuesday.

Bush was wrapping up a town hall-style appearance at South Arkansas Community College when he let the jest fly. It was a mother joke, a blonde joke and an insult all in one.

"You and my mother go to the same hair-dye person," Bush said to Briery, whose blondish bob bore little resemblance to Barbara Bush's shock of white hair.

The audience in the gymnasium laughed, and Briery smiled, but replied firmly: "President Bush, I'm a natural blonde."

"Oh, yes," Bush agreed.

"I'm just a natural blonde," she repeated.

"I couldn't help myself, sorry," Bush shrugged.

Don't worry George. Keep on joking about dye jobs and the missing WMDs, and these ratings will be up in no time!


:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 09:23:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Holy Shit

Oh my God:
130 SOLDIERS KILLED IN IRAQ - REPORTS

A Pentagon source has said up to 130 US troops have been killed in fierce fighting in Iraq.

The large scale battle, described as "intense", has taken place in the town of Ar Ramadi, 20 miles west of Fallujah.

Sky News' David Chater said: "None of this is official yet - none of it is confirmed."

But he added: "It sounds very much like this is being carried out by men who are militarily trained."

Chater described the attack as "highly sophisticated".

This is an unconfirmed report, but if it's true... oh man. I don't even know what to say.

I'd also just like to take a moment to point out that while our troops have been under a coordinated attack encompassing seven Iraqi cities this is how George W. Bush spent the day:
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 6, 2004

Today's Presidential Action

President Bush visited El Dorado, Arkansas today to meet with students, workers, business leaders, and educators. He announced a new plan to strengthen math and science education to ensure that young Americans are graduating with the skills they need to succeed in college and to compete for the high-demand jobs of the 21st Century.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 05:45:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

From the I Couldn't Make This Up If I Tried Dept.

This might be the funniest thing I've read all day:
It was a mouthwatering menu. Not that you'd expect less for $2,000 a plate.

Seared beef tenderloins with golden tomatoes on an herb-encrusted baguette. Grilled garlic chicken with smoked gouda on a honey wheat wrap. Fruits and gourmet olives and crudite. A gourmet luncheon with only one thing missing: something to eat it with.

The explanation was at the bottom of the menus distributed at President Bush's $1.5 million Charlotte fund-raiser Monday.

"At the request of the White House, silverware will not accompany the table settings," it said in discreetly fine print.

No silver. No plastic.

The lack of utensils might have been why many plates went virtually untouched.

The reason: So the tinkle of silver wouldn't disrupt the president's speech.

via Atrios.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 05:13:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

From the Horse's Mouth

Zayed is an Iraqi living in Baghdad. He's a dentist. He runs a blog called Healing Iraq.

This is what he has to say about what's going on in his country right now:
A coup d'etat is taking place in Iraq a the moment. Al-Shu'la, Al-Hurria, Thawra (Sadr city), and Kadhimiya (all Shi'ite neighbourhoods in Baghdad) have been declared liberated from occupation. Looting has already started at some places downtown, a friend of mine just returned from Sadun street and he says Al-Mahdi militiamen are breaking stores and clinics open and also at Tahrir square just across the river from the Green Zone. News from other cities in the south indicate that Sadr followers (tens of thousands of them) have taken over IP stations and governorate buildings in Kufa, Nassiriya, Ammara, Kut, and Basrah. Al-Jazeera says that policemen in these cities have sided with the Shia insurgents, which doesn't come as a surprise to me since a large portion of the police forces in these areas were recruited from Shi'ite militias and we have talked about that ages ago. And it looks like this move has been planned a long time ago.

No one knows what is happening in the capital right now. Power has been cut off in my neighbourhood since the afternoon, and I can only hear helicopters, massive explosions, and continuous shooting nearby. The streets are empty, someone told us half an hour ago that Al-Mahdi are trying to take over our neighbourhood and are being met by resistance from Sunni hardliners. Doors are locked, and AK-47's are being loaded and put close by in case they are needed. The phone keeps ringing frantically. Baghdadis are horrified and everyone seems to have made up their mind to stay home tomorrow until the situation is clear.

Very scary stuff. I can't imagine living like that. The worst part, though, is what he says in a following paragraph:
I have to admit that until now I have never longed for the days of Saddam, but now I'm not so sure. If we need a person like Saddam to keep those rabid dogs at bay then be it. Put Saddam back in power and after he fills a couple hundred more mass graves with those criminals they can start wailing and crying again for liberation. What a laugh we will have then. Then they can shove their filthy Hawza and marji'iya up somewhere else. I am so dissapointed in Iraqis and I hate myself for thinking this way. We are not worth your trouble, take back your billions of dollars and give us Saddam again. We truly 'deserve' leaders like Saddam.

This is an IRAQI saying this. It's one thing when Hans Blix says Iraq was better off with Saddam, but if regular Iraqis are feeling that way then things are even worse than I thought.


:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 03:03:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

One More Thing I'll Never Do

Holy crap:
Mexican woman performs own Caesarean to save baby

A woman in Mexico gave birth to a healthy baby boy after performing a Caesarean section on herself with a kitchen knife, doctors said Tuesday.

The unidentified 40-year-old woman, who lived in a rural area without electricity, running water or sanitation and was an eight-hour drive from the nearest hospital, performed the operation when she could not deliver the baby naturally.

She had lost a previous baby due to labor complications.

"She took three small glasses of hard liquor and, using a kitchen knife, sliced her abdomen in three attempts ... and delivered a male infant that breathed immediately and cried," said Dr R.F. Valle, of the Dr. Manuel Velasco Suarez Hospital in San Pablo, Mexico.

Um, I don't even know what to say about this one.

I think I need to lie down.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 01:54:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Priorities

In case you haven't noticed, the situation in Iraq is falling apart at an astonishing rate. Ten US soldiers were killed on Sunday (read below), and seven more were killed yesterday:
U.S. troops battled Iraqi guerrillas Tuesday on the edges of Fallujah, which hundreds of Marines and Iraqi troops have surrounded in a major operation to pacify one of Iraq's most violent cities.

The four Marines were killed by hostile fire Monday, bringing to five the number of Marines killed that day. The military did not give details on the deaths, saying only that they took place in Anbar province, where Fallujah is located.

In northern Baghdad's Khazimiya district, three U.S. soldiers were killed, all members of the 1st Armored Division.

One was killed Monday when his convoy was attacked with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. A second soldier died later the same day when his vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. The third died after his Bradley vehicle was hit by a grenade Tuesday. Their names were not released.

The deaths brought the U.S. death toll in Iraq to at least 614.

In other developments:
  • Fifteen Iraqis were killed and 12 Italian soldiers hurt in clashes in Nasiriyah, the Italian news agency Ansa reported.

  • When Shiite gunmen attacked a police post in Najaf during Sunday's riots, it was a group of private commandos � not U.S. troops � who beat back the attack, the Washington Post reports.

  • A Spanish newspaper says Spain's future defense minister, Jose Bono, met secretly with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discuss plans to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq.

  • The U.S. Army is conducting medical tests on a handful of soldiers who complained of illnesses after reported exposure to depleted uranium � a material used for tank armor and armor-piercing weapons.

People are dying left right and center. There are highly paid mercenaries running around all over Iraq (the Fallujah Four were private employees as well). Not to mention the whole saga involving the impending martyrdom of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr:
The offensive against Fallujah, 30 miles west of Baghdad, comes as the United States is taking a tougher approach against al-Sadr, who has long spoken out against the U.S. occupation and has built up his own militia, the Al-Mahdi Army � though he has not called for anti-U.S. violence in the past.

Al-Sadr launched a wave of protests over the arrest of a top aide last week, sparking gunbattles Sunday between his militiamen and coalition troops in Baghdad and near Najaf that killed at least 52 Iraqis and nine coalition troops, including eight Americans.

An arrest warrant against al-Sadr is on charges of involvement in the April 2003 murder of al-Khoei, who was stabbed to death by a mob in a Shiite shrine in Najaf soon after Saddam's fall, said coalition spokesman Dan Senor.

The showdown with al-Sadr threatens to heighten tensions between the U.S. occupation and Iraq's Shiite majority, who have largely avoided anti-U.S. violence � though al-Sadr's popularity among Shiites is limited. U.S. officials appear to be counting on Shiites to shun al-Sadr, seen by many in his community as too young and fiery to lead.

Al-Sadr's main support is among young seminary students and impoverished Shiites, devoted to him because of his anti-U.S. stance and the memory of his father, a religious leader gunned down by suspected agents of Saddam Hussein in 1999.

Obviously, Iraq has reached a boiling point. Only an incredibly naive person could conclude otherwise.

And the White House is responding. George Bush is holding around the clock sessions with senior aides, meeting with foreign leaders, listening to any idea that might break this vicious momentum.

Gotcha.

Actually, he was in St. Louis on Monday, watching a baseball game. Isn't it good to know we're in such competent hands?





UPDATE: CNN reports that Najaf has fallen:
Supporters of maverick Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr controlled government, religious and security buildings in the holy city of Najaf early Tuesday evening, according to a coalition source in southern Iraq.

The source said al-Sadr's followers controlled the governor's office, police stations and the Imam Ali mosque, one of Shia Muslim's holiest shrines.

Iraqi police were negotiating to regain their stations, the source said.

As of 1:45 PM 20 American soldiers and 100 Iraqis have been killed since the weekend. It looks like the "peaceful" part of the Iraqi occupation has come to an end.

This is really, really bad.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/06/2004 09:31:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/05/2004 ::

10 U.S. Troops Killed On Sunday

What was that about "Bring it on"?
Supporters of an anti-American cleric rioted in four Iraqi cities Sunday, battling coalition troops in the worst unrest since the spasm of looting and arson immediately after the fall of Saddam Hussein. At least 22 Iraqis, eight U.S. troops and one Salvadoran soldier died.

Sunday's violence - along with the unrelated killings of two Marines in Anbar province - pushed the U.S. death toll to at least 610.

In other developments Sunday:
  • Two U.S. Marines, both assigned to the 1st Marine Division, were killed by an "enemy action" in Anbar province Saturday, the military said. One died Saturday and the other Sunday, the statement said without providing details.

    Anbar includes Fallujah, a city where four American civilian contractors were killed and mutilated on Wednesday.

  • A bomb killed three security officers and wounded another at a checkpoint in Samarra, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, that was manned by Iraqi Civil Defense personnel, workers at Samarra General Hospital said.

  • In Kirkuk, also in the north, a car bomb exploded, killing three civilians and wounding two others, police said.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/05/2004 08:57:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/02/2004 ::

Go Kerry Go

John Kerry will announce his first quarter numbers today. And they're enough to strike fear into the hearts of Republicans nationwide. Well, those of them that have hearts, anyway:
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) will announce today that his presidential campaign has raised more than $43 million in the first three months of this year, smashing Democratic Party records and signaling a party-wide fundraising resurgence for Democrats, according to top party officials.

[...]

[T]he unexpected fundraising surge shows Democrats are far more competitive financially against Bush and suggests the pool of Democratic money runs much deeper than officials from both parties originally projected, GOP and Democratic strategists say. The Kerry campaign initially projected it would raise $80 million this year, then Kerry fundraisers said in interviews last month it could top $100 million in 2004 alone.

"You can easily see a scenario where he hits $120 million, particularly given the fact the race is so close and will continue to be close," said Anita Dunn, a Democratic strategist.

This is fantastic news. $43 million dollars in three months!! And things haven't even really gotten going yet!

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/02/2004 08:58:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

:: 4/01/2004 ::

I Think I'm In Love

You guys have got to listen to Randi Rhodes on Air America. She's unbelievable. Talking about Bush signing the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (I'm paraphrasing, of course):
So people are getting beheaded in Iraq right now, and Bush decides today is a good day to sign the Protect the Fetus Act or whatever. He doesn't care about the 19 year old kids over there, but God forbid anything happens to a fetus.

I mean, what is that? How can you be a victim of violence if you're not even born? What happens if a pregnant woman gets assaulted on the way to the abortion clinic? Does the assailant get the Congressional Medal of Honor or something? What if she's carrying twins? Are they gonna rename Reagan National Airport after him?

Liberal radio. It's about damn time.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/01/2004 03:25:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Meltdown

I don't know if you've been following Atrios on the whole Letterman/CNN debacle, but it's pretty interesting. The basic story is:
  1. Letterman shows a clip of a kid standing behind Bush while the Dear Leader gave a speech.

  2. The kid is bored out of his mind and acts accordingly, fidgeting, doing toe-touches, making faces, etc.

  3. The piece is funny and CNN replays it the next day.

  4. The Bush Administration calls them and says the kid wasn't at the event, Letterman's show added him in.

  5. CNN reports that the Letterman tape was doctored. Anchor Daryn Kagan says, "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting."

  6. Letterman calls bullshit.

  7. The Bushies say okay, he was there, but not where Letterman put him.

  8. Letterman calls bullshit again. "When you cast your vote in November," he urges, "just remember that the White House was trying to make ME look like a DOPE."




In other words, the Bush Administration called CNN to change their coverage of a Letterman joke that made Bush look like a bad speaker.

The story here is not that CNN is in the pocket of the Bush Administration. That's not exactly a news flash. The REAL story is that the Bush Cabal is so terrified at this point that they're flipping out at anything. They're being attacked on all sides, and they've completely lost the ability to discern legitimate threats (Richard Clarke, the Plame Affair, Cheney/Halliburton connections) from simple good-natured ribbing.

A few weeks ago they trained their guns on Howard Stern, and he's been RAILING against Bush ever since. A huge portion of the gun-toting, fag-hating, bitch-slapping population (Bush's core voter base, in other words) worships Howard. Now Bush is working on alienating the late night talk show hosts.

I remember reading somewhere that something like 30% of Americans cite Leno and Letterman as their primary news source. If Bush keeps this up, he's really going to regret it.

I'm actually starting to think Bush might not want to win this election. He's been THAT stupid lately.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/01/2004 01:03:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

Some Syrup With Those Waffles?

Jeez laweez... what a flip-flopper.

Obviously, there's nothing wrong with changing one's opinion in the face of new information or shifting circumstances. It's called being resilient, and it's generally considered an admirable trait. However, if Bush is going to make accusations of "waffling" over the course of John Kerry's 20 year Senate career, then he ought to be held accountable for his numerous 180 degree policy shifts over the course of Bush's 3 year career in federal office.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/01/2004 01:00:00 PM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

You Dunk Like A Girl

And that's not an insult anymore:
The buzz reached trendy L.A., but it happened inside a gym in Oklahoma City on Monday night during the McDonald's High School All-American dunk contest, an ESPN-worthy event with a history of winners that reads like the cast of "Space Cowboys": LeBron James, Vince Carter and Davis, to name a few.

Competing against five fellas, Candace Parker carried herself over a threshold when she approached her last dunk from the left lane of the court. Tucking her eyes behind the crook of her elbow, playing peekaboo with the hoop, she lifted her 6-foot-3-inch frame off the floor on a surgically repaired leg and palmed the ball just tight enough to shove it down the throat of the net � in a ladylike way, of course.

"The whole gym erupted," Parker's mother, Sara, told The Daily Herald of Arlington Heights, Ill., a suburban Chicago town near the family's home in Naperville. "All the boys jumped off the sidelines and ran onto the court and grabbed her."

The unconditional response for Parker is significant in its purity. The guys didn't care if she used a women's ball or if the Tennessee Lady Vols' incoming star benefited when her competitors botched more difficult dunks.

Maaaan. She shoulda gone to Uconn.

:: Little Brother is watching at 4/01/2004 10:32:00 AM :: posted by SmooveJ :: permalink ::

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