Thursday, December 01, 2005

 

Al Qaida Recruits Rodents

Russian squirrel pack 'kills dog'
BBC News
Dec. 1, 2005

Squirrels have bitten to death a stray dog which was barking at them in a Russian park, local media report.

Passers-by were reportedly too late to stop the attack by the black squirrels in a village in the far east, which reportedly lasted about a minute.

They are said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh.

A pine cone shortage may have led the squirrels to seek other food sources, although scientists are sceptical.

 

Attack of the Folks Formerly Known As Insurgents

The folks Don Rumsfeld tells us don't deserve to be called "insurgents" are so despirate, they're stepping up their attacks:
Insurgent 'attack' on Iraqi city
BBC News
Dec. 1, 2005

Insurgents attacked US bases and government offices in Ramadi, in central Iraq, and then dispersed throughout the city, reports say.

Heavily-armed insurgents fired mortars and rockets at the buildings and then occupied several main streets, residents told news agencies.
...
(US Marines spokesman)Captain Pool accused the militants of exaggerating the scale of the attack.

"This is clearly a sign of how desperate insurgents have become," he said.
...
Residents told the Reuters news agency earlier that hundreds of heavily armed men in masks had for a time patrolled the main streets of the city and set up checkpoints...

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

 

What a Great Program

Tom Toles explains how W's Guest Worker Program should work

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

 

Bush Seeking Iran's Help in Iraq

Bush's new "cut and run" policy: Give Iraq to the Shiites:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has authorized the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad to meet Iranian officials to help secure Iraq after the Pentagon starts withdrawing troops, Newsweek reported on Monday.

In the December 5 issue of Newsweek, which hit news stands on Monday, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said he had explicit permission from Bush to begin a diplomatic dialogue with Iran about Iraq.

"I've been authorized by the president to engage the Iranians as I engaged them in Afghanistan directly," said Khalilzad, a former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan. "There will be meetings, and that's also a departure and an adjustment."
(Source: Reuters US Iraq ambassador to discuss Iraq with Iran, Nov. 28, 2005.
Back in October, Bush was singing a very different tune:
Third, we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of collaboration with terrorists, and they deserve no patience from the victims of terror. The United States makes no distinction between those who commit acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're equally as guilty of murder. (Applause.) Any government that chooses to be an ally of terror has also chosen to be an enemy of civilization.
(Source: White House Web Site: President Discusses War on Terror at National Endowment for Democracy, Oct. 6, 2005 [emphasis added.])
If Iran is a sponsor of terrorism, and we're seeking to cooperate with them, doesn't that make the US an "enemy of civilization" according to President Bush?

Monday, November 28, 2005

 

Say Good-Night, Duke

Hyper-patriot and Republican Randy "Duke" Cunningham seems to be on the leading edge of the Republican Party's efforts to re-establish a two-party system of government in these United States via self-destructive behavior:
SAN DIEGO – Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham resigned from Congress Monday morning after pleading guilty to conspiring to take bribes in exchange for using his influence to help a defense contractor get business.

"I was not strong enough to face the truth," Cunningham said in a news conference outside the federal courthouse, his voice breaking. "The truth is I broke the law, concealed my conduct and disgraced my office."
(Source: San Diego Union Tribune Cunningham pleads guilty, resigns from Congress, Nov.28, 2005.)
Give him his due: there isn't anything in his statement about "overzealous junkyard dog prosecutors trying to criminalize politics." Maybe he can get a job writing resignation-under-cloud-of-corruption speeches for the Abramoff scandal's participants...

Sunday, November 27, 2005

 

A System of Men, Not Laws

Because you can't have freedom and a justice system based on the "rule of law" unless you also maintain the right to ignore those principles whenever they're inconvenient:
The government says a secret and unilateral decision-making process is necessary because of the nature of the evidence it deals with. Officials described the approach as a practical one that weighs a mix of often-sensitive factors.

"Much thought goes into how and why various tools are used in these often complicated cases," Tasia Scolinos, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said on Friday. "The important thing is for someone not to come away thinking this whole process is arbitrary, which it is not."
(Source: New York Times In Terror Cases, Administration Sets Own Rules, Nov. 27, 2005.)
In other words, the Bush Administration feels that grabbing anyone they want, anywhere they want, questioning them via torture and imprisoning them without appeal is fully justified by the simple phrase: "Trust Us, We're The Government."

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