Category: long story short

Fact of the day, worth mulling and sharing: according to this article in the Chron, we’ve spent 3 dollars on Iraq to every dollar spent on homeland security. Not might spend. Or will spend. Or could spend. Spent. Done did. Insane. Some folks are getting frustrated that Kerry’s not doing much of late. I’m one…

Over the last couple of years, Fareed Zakaria’s analysis has been unrelentingly sharp, honest, and more often than not, borne out by the events that follow. I still can’t believe he writes for Newsweek. Anyways, The Price of Arrogance sums up the moment better than just about anything else I’ve seen this week. Highly recommended.

At first, we went to Iraq to get the WMD. Then there were no WMD. Then we retroactively went to Iraq to free the Iraqis and be the liberators. It was a just war. This is the week the war officially became something to be sad and ashamed about for a much larger pool of…

I would guess that for the prison officials, the risks authorizing a prisoner’s release were considerable, while the potential rewards were scant. If someone you released turned up later attacking US forces, it might, in effect, end your career. But even bureaucratically, if the records are missing, or they are vague about the reason for…

The posting I made under the heading “Three Strikes?” cited this report from a Reuters dispatch: “An official said a soldier was convicted in the U.S. military justice system of killing a prisoner by hitting him with a rock, and was reduced in rank to private and thrown out of the service but did not…

Still working on a chapter today. I’m about three or four weeks overdue for a “to done” style posting here. When I get a round tuit it will be a doozy. Got a DFA meetup tonight, then back to finishing up the Chapter 4 rewrite. Then sleep, glorious sleep.

An official said a soldier was convicted in the U.S. military justice system of killing a prisoner by hitting him with a rock, and was reduced in rank to private and thrown out of the service but did not serve any jail time. (Article) Perhaps President Bush could embrace this within the US too, as…

The Bush administration has told the Supreme Court that the court’s authority does not extend to Guantanamo, because it is not US territory and is not subject to US law. I am willing to guess that the government would also not accept proceedings in Cuban courts as authoritative there. Clearly, the administration is quietly making…

The two teams are part of the 100 Marine sharpshooters deployed by three battalions around the city. One sniper secreted away in another corner of Fallujah has “26 confirmed kills,” military officers here report. …The snipers were deployed in early April, as guerrilla ambushes claimed more than 50 Marine lives…. …the sharpshooters are an offensive…

Bush made the comment during a Rose Garden news conference, while discussing his goal of more freedom in the Middle East. “There’s a lot of people in the world who don’t believe that people whose skin color may not be the same as ours can be free and self-govern,” Bush said. “OURS”!! What an idiot!!

The human rights group Amnesty International said it had warned U.S. and British authorities…. “We have talked to ex-prisoners, who say when they were taken into custody they were hooded and beaten, sometimes numerous times and subjected on some occasions to psychological torture and acts of sexual humiliation,” Amnesty’s Neil Durkin told Sky News. “They…

The right sure has found their swing when it comes to Kerry bashing this week. Turns out, and here’s a huge surprise, John Kerry has a problem with the truth. Wow. That came outta left field. Can’t these yahoos at least come up with a new line? What Gore must be thinking right about now….…

I’m actually pro-Kerry (despite the unpleasantness of him beating my candidate in the primaries), but this John Kerry is a Douchebag but I’m Voting for Him Anyway .com site is probably not too bad a way to reach out to the undecideds who aren’t wowed by his persona. (Pardon the French.)

Now the US Army is floating the idea of reinstating the draft. That is sooo typical of the Army. Sure they are concerned that the best prospects are going to the prestige services like the Marines and the Air Force. They should be concerned. But how about stepping up to the challenge? How about making…

Maybe I just don’t get it. Did there used to be like all kinds of dangerous carburetors in all our food? I don’t think so! But, wow, the agribusiness conglomerates are rushing to protect us (like they really care!), so every package of anything in the store just has to let us know–in great big…

Much to blog about from the last few weeks (pop culture conference in Texas, publishing / technology conference in Berkeley, and now here I am posting from New Orleans), but too much big fun to want to sit in front of a computer posting to the blog, so ideally it will all come pouring out…

Never ask yourself, “What would I do in this situation?”

Reuters, 4/23/04 [A] U.S. general said on Thursday the rebels had “days not weeks” to turn in their heavy weapons…. Lieutenant-General James Conway, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force…said the weaponry handed over so far was unusable “junk.” Complete article This is totally outrageous. This is no time to be cutting corners on vital…

“Early Thursday, Marines launched a major assault on the village of Karma….” Complete article.

The Bush administration came into office with a grievance in foreign affairs: We’re not getting “ours.” We are acknowledged to be the world’s only superpower. So where are the fruits of arrogance, avarice, and venality to which we are now so abundantly entitled? Hence, unilateralism and preemption–and a new style of swift, lean, cost-effective, technologized,…

A spokesman for the Sunni Muslim assembly [said] the situation regarding the Italian hostages, who were armed when they were abducted, was different to those of the Japanese and other nationals who had been released…. “They are trained escorts of the coalition led by the Americans. In truth they are like soldiers, the same as…