Chelicera

I'm the Daughter of a Traitor

2005-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:00

Most of my family were thrown in internment camps during WWII by FDR for the "crime" of being Japanese-American. Of course, none of those internees ever committed even a slightly treasonous act but suffered the consequences of the loss of their civil rights. On the other hand, my (now deceased) father's story is a great deal more complicated. My great-grandfather was forced to leave Japan because he was a supporter of the old order. When the Meiji restoration occurred (the emperor seized control), he was on the losing side of the power struggle and emigrated to the U.S. where he was a successful farmer. He went back to Japan and bought real estate and lived quite comfortably. His daughter and her husband stayed in the U.S. and that was where my father was born. He was sent to Japan at the age of seven to be educated. His parents stayed behind, so he was raised by his grandfather, a very strict but fair man. When the shit hit the fan in 1941, my great-grandfather publically stated that the Japanese government had their heads up their asses and would lose the war. The police questioned him but let him go. Actually, the Japanese government and military knew that it was a bad idea but, for extraordinarily stupid reasons, they went ahead and attacked Pearl Harbor anyway. Why would a government knowingly commit an idiotic and catastrophic mistake? (Sound familiar?) In any case, my father, then 14, suffered beatings and abuse because he wasn't a "patriotic Japanese citizen." Determined to prove his loyalty, he ran away from home at 16 and found work making bombs in a Tokyo factory. I suppose he may have committed high treason for this activity. His bombmaking job didn't last, however. The U.S. firebombed residential sections of Toyko, killing hundreds of thousands of civilians who were NOT engaged in the war effort. People ran for the rivers but the heat was so intense, the water boiled and they were literally cooked to death. My father saw bloated bodies floating in the water with their skin peeling off their flesh. He escaped the same fate through sheer luck. After Japan's defeat and the subsequent economic dislocations perpetrated by Douglas MacArthur, my great-grandfather lost most of his money and had to sell his real estate holdings. My father eventually decided to go to the U.S. He was still a U.S. citizen. When the Korean War broke out, my father was drafted by the U.S. Army. He served two years and was a model soldier. For the next 50 years, he worked hard, raised a family, and was a law-abiding, contributing member to society. I believe that a rational person would forgive my father's "treason." He was young, his allegiance was to the country where he was raised, he was pressured as disloyal by his peer group, and he later served in the U.S. military (a rather ironic twist, imho). This is my father's odd history with bizarre twists and shifting patriotism (or lack thereof). FDR and the U.S. government are hardly the heroes in this story, but neither are the Japanese; atrocities abound for all. So what country deserves the patriotism of its citizens? George Bush's America? HAH! Not a goddamn one deserves my loyalty, but that's a consequence of my family history and post Vietnam/Watergate cynicism.

Supporting the Troops

2005-10-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

We're coming up on 2000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq. Will anyone care? Besides Cindy Sheehan, that is. I care. I can't really comprehend why anyone would join the military with Bush as Commander in Chief and with the current crop of gutless bureaucrats who call themselves the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but I don't want these enlistees to die. I am sure that Bush and the Neocons don't care. They're incapable of any emotion except greed. Does the public care? Bush has tried to insulate them from any effects. As a result, they haven't sacrificed anything for this war except their children's future. Poll numbers show that support for the war is very low but will that translate into real anger over these pointless deaths? When so many servicemen died in the beginning of July, Bush's approval rating dropped. The public took that as a sign that the war was progressing poorly. Still, earlier this month, there were several deaths which received scant attention. If Fitzgerald issues indictments over the Plame/WMD hoax AND the insurgents manage to kill a substantial number of soldiers/marines this week, that might make a dent in public opinion. What will the next set of polls show?

I Love Texas Judge Bob Perkins

2005-10-18T13:05:00.000-07:00

My God, on Friday, Perkins is ordering Tom DeLay to be to arrested, booked and arraigned, mug shots, fingerprinting, bail, the whole works. The Republican leadership was so arrogant in their belief that they were above the law, but they miscalculated. Fitzgerald is likely to issue indictments tomorrow and Frist is under investigation by the SEC. Hey, maybe democracy isn't dead.

October is the Cruelest Month

2005-10-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Some of my random thoughts. Washington and Iraq are heating up the rumor mill. Fitzgerald is on the verge of indicting Rove and Libby over Plamegate (possibly on Wednesday) and Dick Cheney is in the crosshairs. Cheney must be one of the unindicted co-conspirators but there are rumors of another unindicted co-conspirator. Could it possibly be Bush? Even if Bush isn't impeached, the indictment of high-level aides will weaken his presidency tremendously. Iraq's constitution is certain to be ratified which is rather interesting since the votes haven't been counted yet and statistical analysis shows inconsistencies in voting patterns. Does any rational human being believe that the vote wasn't fixed? The Sunnis have no reason to support the constitution and will turn toward the insurgents as their only legitimate voice; the U.S. keeps bombing innocent Sunni civilians and reducing their towns to rubble while the Shiites and Kurds are looking for payback on the Sunnis. The new Iraqi flag should have been blood-red. The massive earthquake hit Pakistan very hard and news reports indicate dissatisfaction with Pakistani Pres. Musharraf's handling of the crisis. Even before the disaster, Musharraf was hardly in complete control of his country. That's why he doesn't want to capture Bin Laden and turn him over to the U.S.; Musharraf would be facing open revolt in the streets of Islamabad. We're also looking at Tropical Storm Wilma which is predicted to turn into a cat 3 hurricane. It's going to be a record-breaking year and I keep wondering how many hurricanes will hit U.S. oil-drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. The possible destruction of oil-rigs and processing plants is dangerous to our debt-ridden economy. In general, October is a dangerous month for possible economic collapse; mutual funds sell some of their holdings in October in order to lock in their profits for their yearly reports. Historically, in a weak and unstable economy, that sell-off has led to severe drops in the stock market. We live in exciting times.

Burning Bush

2005-10-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

The Valerie Plame case has heated up with news stories strongly suggesting that indictments are imminent. In particular, Huffington Post is fanning the flames under Bush which is particularly ominous for the Republicans. Huffington Post has graduated from Arianna's pet project to a very legitimate source of news and informed opinion. Will Cheney be an unindicted co-conspirator? It sounds like Fitzgerald has Libby by the short hairs; if so, Libby may flip and offer up Cheney. Would Cheney offer up dubya for a plea bargain? That would be so sweet. Can you impeach the president AND the vice-president at the same time? Probably not but it's a fun question. The executive branch has become too powerful and Bush arrogantly claims presidential privilege whenever anyone tries to hold him accountable for his actions. Remember Nixon and the "imperial presidency"? IIRC, Tricky Dicky wanted to dress up White House security personnel in uniforms that suggested they were guarding royalty, i.e. Buckingham Palace or the Vatican. The country has to hold the Bush Admin responsible for their misdeeds and kick them and their supporters out of office. If another incompetent, neocon-controlled president takes office after dubya, God only knows what will happen. I wrote my previous post on the fall of America as a speculation on the necessary factors for a military coup. In retrospect, I see that I failed to include the breakdown of constitutional law. If Congress fails to hold the President responsible for his illegal and unconstitutional actions, this is clearly a step down the road to disaster. How many more steps will it take?

Future History: A Wikipedia Article From The 22nd Century

2005-10-03T00:26:00.000-07:00

The Decline of the American Republic The decline of the United States was due to several factors which are obvious from the perspective of the 22nd century. However, even at the time, the weaknesses were well known; political and financial leaders chose to ignore the warning signs. America rose to economic, political, and military superiority at the end of World War II. European and Asian countries had been devastated by the damage to their cities and industrial base while the U.S., due to its relative geographic isolation, had suffered little harm. This, coupled with an educated populace, allowed their economy to achieve substantial growth, far outstripping its rivals. Allegedly, their great rival was the Soviet Union due to its nuclear capabilities and European client states. The economic "threat" of communism was far overblown since the Soviet economy was never more than a fraction the size of America's; the military threat of nuclear war was more serious but, since no sane leader would contemplate initiating a first strike under any circumstances, this horror was averted. The cost of avoiding World War III was the rise of the military-industrial complex in America. These generals, politicians, and large corporations helped launch a massive arms race which sought to deter the Soviet threat while making large profits for themselves. By the end of the republic, however, protection of the nation was forgotten and the system had devolved into little more than a method for funneling government funds into the hands of a few wealthy industrialists. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, America appeared ready to enter a Golden Age. No longer burdened by massive military commitments, it seemed that the U.S. could afford to concentrate on its infrastructure and economic needs. Unfortunately, the founding fathers had not created a government able to handle the demands of a large and complex nation. From the beginning, the immigrant nation was beset by massive divisions of class and race. Class divisions were common to all nations of the period, but race differences and slavery, in particular, splintered the national identity. This lack of cohesion weakened loyalty and patriotism to the common good. Other nations managed to overcome these problems and accept diversity, but Americans could not escape their legacy of exploiting minority groups. Thus, when the oligarchy began their final attack on the lower and middle classes, average Americans could not organize themselves to battle this threat. The founders knew that corruption would be a constant threat to their democracy but they could not foresee how economic success would create an intellectually lazy and complacent populace. By various financial machinations, corrupt politicians increased the national deficit by issuing government bonds which would be paid by future generations. The voters were not immediately affected by this chicanery; the debt would be paid by their children and grandchildren. The populace eased their conscience by criticizing the morality and values of their offspring who "deserved" this financial burden. An honest accounting of the fiscal disaster would have required the voters to work for integrity in government and raising taxes, neither of which was popular. Deep down, Americans knew that their government was leading them astray. Wars of conquest and economic exploitation of third-world nations were commonplace and millions died as a direct and indirect result. This uncomfortable knowledge of war crimes was masked by rascism and Christian fundamentalism, i.e. "heathens" were subhuman and damned to suffer by God. Christian extremist leaders worked hand in hand with politicians to create this propaganda campaign. The efforts of religious extremists were also used to subvert and ultimately destroy the educational system. Science was no longer of value; faith and belief could "solve" all difficulties. The oligarchy found this particularly useful since an ignorant population was easier to exploit. Of course, the lack of educated workers led to the breakdown of the manufacturing sector and economic collapse. At the time of the final economic catastrophe, the U.S. military had been fighting yet another decades-long war of conquest in the Middle East in an attempt to shore up poor financial decisions and corruption by top government officials. The overstretched military was forced to send servicemen and women into tours of duty that lasted several years. Foreign mercenaries were recruited with the promise of U.S. citizenship. As a result, the military rank and file lost touch with mainstream America; the native-born citizens hardly knew their own country and the mercenaries were motivated solely by the promise of future economic rewards. When the government stopped providing basic necessities like body armor, transport vehicles, munitions, etc., the war became untenable. In desperation, a few highly placed generals decided the only solution was a military coup. *** So, what do you think? Total bullshit or scary stuff?

Musharraf Sucking Up to Pakistani Fundamentalists

2005-09-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

The unelected leader (i.e. dictator) of Pakistan, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, recently came out with a statement that denigrates the rights of women. He's playing the "blame the female rape victim" game for the religious fundamentalists. I find it very suspicious that Musharraf suddenly spews out a statement like that. Why should Musharraf suddenly throw a bone to Islamic fundamentalists with close ties to the Taliban? Granted, the fundamentalists are a very large and powerful group in Pakistan but why suck up to them at this particular time? I think he's getting nervous and he's not the only one making suspicious statements. Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, is trying to act like some type of Afghani patriot and whining about U.S. airstrikes and other abuses to civilians. Funny, it didn't seem to bother him before (snark). The Iraq War continues to deteriorate for the U.S. military and the public wants to withdraw troops. How long can the U.S. occupy Iraq and Afghanistan? If Bush cannot have both, he'll stay with the oil in Iraq. At least, he'll try. But, how much does he really care about Afghanistan? Karzai has good reason to be nervous given the fate of the last puppet ruler of Afghanistan, Mohammad Najibullah, in 1996. Click here if you want to see a gory picture. The Taliban dragged him out of a UN compound and hanged him from a street light. Recently, news reports state Iraqi insurgents have exported their guerrilla tactics and munitions to the Taliban. Thus, the Taliban have strong international support from the Middle East and from Pakistani religious fundamentalists. Granted, the recent elections seem to encourage Karzai's government and the Taliban are not the most popular group in the world, but historically, Afghanis hate foreign invaders. They've hated them for at least 2500 years and I don't think that will change in the near future. If we pull out of Afghanistan, will we keep throwing $billions to Pakistan and Musharraf? Can we even afford to keep on throwing money around with a massive budget deficit? The Iraqi insurgents will continue to support the Taliban and teach them urban guerrilla warfare. That must be making Karzai nervous. Will the Taliban teach these techniques to an insurgency in Pakistan? Is that making Musharraf nervous?

Inmates in Charge of the Asylum?

2005-09-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

Is this for real? Or just some weird prank? From the Gainsville Sun: Gov. Bush & his mystical buddy After more than an hour of solemn ceremony naming Rep. Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, as the 2007-08 House speaker, Gov. Jeb Bush stepped to the podium in the House chamber last week and told a short story about "unleashing Chang," his "mystical warrior" friend. The rest of the article is here.

Watching the Train Wreck

2005-09-18T23:51:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the HBO miniseries, Rome, but I have mixed feelings about the program. For starters, Rome compares poorly to I, Claudius which is an all-time classic in my opinion. I, Claudius was a sharp satire on government and human frailty while Rome plays it straight and relies too heavily on sex and nudity to maintain interest. The main problem for me, though, is watching the collapse of the Roman Republic; it's far too close to present-day America. I don't claim to have any formal training in Roman history but I do have some interest in the subject. In many ways, we are very close to Rome. Western culture is a direct descendent of Rome but the U.S. seems to have more in common with it than the rest of the world. Rome was an Etruscan-dominated monarchy which was alleged to be morally corrupt. The Romans claimed they revolted against the Etruscans for reasons of piety, patriotism, civic virtue, etc. The revolution resulted in a type of representative democracy which favored the aristocracy while giving a limited voice to the plebians. In some degree, this is reminiscent of the Puritans in the Colonial Era and the American Revolutionary War. In any case, Rome grew to dominate its neighbors. Her armies brought home plunder in the form of gold, slaves, and tribute. Rome conquered Egypt, whose farmers could bring in two crops per year. The grain surplus fed the Roman populace. Slaves from conquered nations fueled industry like oil does today. Rome's greatest rival was Carthage, which was eventually defeated in the Punic Wars. For Carthage, one could liken it to the USSR. After the defeat of Carthage, Rome grew far more prosperous and its aristocrats became incredibly wealthy. The vast majority of Roman citizens lived in poverty with high unemployment rates. They survived on a welfare system underwritten by war conquests and aristocrats who bought votes and support with their wealth. The people were pacified with bread and circuses, not unlike Monday Night Football and American Idol. Traditional Roman virtues decayed and sexual mores loosened. Divorce rates skyrocketed and lawyers became wealthy as Roman citizens constantly sued each other in civil lawsuits. Government corruption and cronyism was rampant. In a society like Rome which based its power on military conquest, reverses on the battlefield created fear and panic in their people. This made Roman society susceptible to ambitious aristocrats who sought more and more wealth and power. Generals battled each other and civil war raged for decades. Eventually, the senatorial ranks were decimated until there was little opposition to a monarchy/dictatorship which could provide stability to a war-weary country. Are we there yet? No, Bush is too incompetent. The U.S. military wouldn't follow him in a coup to topple the government. Who will follow Bush? In the aftermath of an economic breakdown, a demagogue could seize power by promising to reform government corruption. Bush isn't the fascist we should fear. It's the competent fascist who comes after him that scares me.

Gretna, Louisiana

2005-09-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading about the situation in Gretna, a predominately white city next to New Orleans. In order to keep the "violent and dangerous darkies" from contaminating their pure city, they've set up a roadblock manned by armed police officers. Effectively, they prevented thousands of New Orleans residents from escaping a flooded hell. As bad as this may seem, Gretna was not the only city to block escape routes. Other cities have blocked roads as well. There was a similar situation in the Great Mississippi Flood. Communities on opposing sides of the river could see the rising water begin to threaten their levees. Each side knew that if the levee broke on the opposing bank, the river would flood the other town. Their community would be saved. Both sides formed armed groups and patrolled the levees. As far as I know, no one purposefully destroyed a levee. So, in today's America, would we break our neighbor's levee?

Postscript to the Great Mississippi Flood

2005-09-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention one of the more disillusioning aspects of the story: How Hoover managed to bury the story. After his investigators confirmed the abuses in the concentration camps (that was the actual term used), Hoover formed a Colored Advisory Commission made up of blacks and led by Robert Russa Moton, a very prominent black conservative leader. Their report also confirmed the allegations. Hoover was relying on his successful handling of the crisis to win the presidency; he did NOT want any scandal to ruin his reputation as the "Great Humanitarian". I'm not kidding, they actually called him that. Hoover cut a deal with Moton to kill the story. Hoover would give Moton and his friends positions in government and give small plots of land to some sharecroppers. Moton jumped at the offer. A funny thing happens when you sell your integrity to the devil. The devil bends you over and screws you in the ass. Hoover broke all his promises to Moton. In 1932, Moton threw his support to FDR (who refused to desegregate the military in WWII, by the way). Many blacks left the Republican Party and never came back. The white plantation owners lost their slaves, erm, um, "workers", who left the poverty in the south to emigrate to Chicago and other northern cities. Greenville never regained its former prosperity. Why am I flashing on Mayor Nagin and how he changed his tune about George Bush?

Blacks in America are Just a Tad Paranoid

2005-09-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

"It didn't really matter if these people were uncomfortable. It didn't really matter if they were starving. It probably wouldn't have really mattered a whole lot if a lot of 'em had died for one reason or another. They were gonna keep their laborers and that's just ruthless contempt for human beings." * Where is this from? The speaker is talking about thousands of poor blacks who were surrounded by floodwaters from a broken levee. A few white people were stranded with them. Transportation was available with room to evacuate all the flood victims but only the whites were taken to safety. The blacks were left behind without food, water or shelter. Eventually they were put in refugee camps patrolled by the armed National Guardsmen. A Republican in charge of federal government relief efforts engaged in a coverup of the refugee scandal. It was the aftermath of a natural disaster, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 which devastated communities from Illinois to Mississippi. In all fairness, the local, state and federal government behaved much worse in 1927 than our current leaders do today. The city of Greenville, Mississippi was controlled by a few wealthy landowners who used thousands of poor black sharecroppers to farm cotton. When the Mississippi started to flood from excessive rainfall, the Greenville landowners forced black men and boys, at gunpoint, to shore up the levee. Unfortunately, the levee broke and many people died. Whites were evacuated out danger. Blacks were evacuated to the intact portion of the levee, an 8-foot-wide swath of land surrounded by the Mississippi River on one side and the flood on the other. They had no food, water or shelter and the rain continued to pour. Several boats arrived to rescue all the survivors on the levee but the landowners intervened. They were afraid of losing their workers; once gone, the sharecroppers might decide to look for a better life. So, the few (33) whites on the levee were evacuated and the blacks were left behind. The story gets worse. Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce for Calvin Coolidge and in charge of the overall disaster relief program, came to Greenville shortly after the levee break. The landowners convinced him that Greenville should be used as a hub for distribution of relief supplies. In order to supply the labor for the federal effort and clean up the town, blacks were forced into labor camps and worked under the supervision of armed National Guardsmen who abused their authority. Word got out that the guards were raping, beating, and killing blacks. Herbert Hoover initiated an investigation that confirmed the reports. However, Hoover did not want tarnish his image as a great leader who successfully saved flood victims; he was planning on running for president. He managed to kill the story of the brutal labor camps. People wonder why blacks in America are just a tad paranoid. *Pete Daniel, Historian from Fatal Flood, The American Experience, 2001 I wrote a very brief synopsis of the incident. For more information see: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/filmmore/pt.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flood/timeline/timeline2.html

More Hurricanes

2005-09-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

There are two possible storms brewing, a low-pressure area off the east coast of Florida, and one south of Bermuda. The Florida one has a good chance that it will turn into a tropical depression or worse. If another hurricane hits the U.S., I don't see how emergency services will be able to cope. With the Bush Administration in charge, the results will be horrifying. Even if this particular system doesn't turn nasty, the height of hurricane season is coming up. NOAA is predicting 6 more hurricanes and, historically, 1 of 3 hurricanes hit the U.S. So, statistics indicate a good chance for 2 more hurricanes to pummel the Gulf states. People who live in those areas should gather together an emergency kit to cope with another disaster. This link gives a list of supplies for the kit.

Assigning Blame

2005-09-02T23:15:00.000-07:00

Forecasters predicted landfall and significant strengthening approximately 3 days in advance. Four out of five computer simulations showed a direct hit on New Orleans and they knew warm water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico would increase the hurricane to Cat 4 or 5. Given the topography of New Orleans, government agencies have known for decades that a direct hit by a Cat 4+ would swamp the area and possibly kill 40,000. Shortly before landfall, Katrina swerved slightly to the east so the strongest part of the hurricane struck to the east of New Orleans; the devastation could have been even worse. I do blame the federal government for their inability to respond both prior to and in the aftermath of the hurricane. I simply cannot understand why they didn't do SOME of the following BEFORE the hurricane hit: a) Commandeer every single bus in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and use them to evacuate people without cars. On the return trip, bring in supplies to the shelters in New Orleans and other coastal areas for those who aren't able to leave in time. b) Set up refugee centers in schools, auditoriums and military bases in areas safe from the hurricane, and bring in supplies and relief workers. c) Mobilize the national guard from other states. d) Commandeer supplies from ALL the supermarkets, sporting goods stores, etc. in and around New Orleans and Biloxi, and put them in the Superdome, the convention center and other shelters. e) Fill up every available container with water. For that matter, fill every bathtub in hotels near the Superdome, and other shelters. f) Put together a command and control center to be deployed immediately after the hurricane passes. BTW, doesn't FEMA have the equipment ready to go on whenever a disaster hits? If so, why did it take so long to implement it? Approximately 25% of New Orleans residents are below the poverty line and 50% of the children live in poverty. I have not seen ANY news reports that the poor were offered the opportunity to leave. Hundreds of buses are evacuating people now; why didn't they do that before? As it stands now, the lack of a timely response WILL result in a larger death toll if the news stories are accurate. CNN and MSNBC are reporting that many people in the shelters have gone without water since the hurricane hit, and there are people still trapped in their homes by floodwater. The emergency is going into its 5th day and the refugees aren't going to survive much longer without food, water and medical attention. Bush is getting a lot of negative coverage in the media. A lot of the national guard and the Army Corps of Engineers are in Iraq but it's unknown how that is affecting the relief efforts. Former goverment aid officials are severely criticizing FEMA for bungling the emergency, however. Congress is passing a bill for $10.5 billion for relief efforts but I'm suspicious that the money will be siphoned off to various corporations; I may be overly cynical but the Bush Admin hasn't shown much integrity in awarding government contracts. In any case, a recent opinion poll shows Bush's approval ratings on handling the crisis are very negative and gasoline prices are shooting through the roof which is not adding to his popularity. The bottom line is that federal and state emergency planning and execution was lacking. Even Bush is admitting that the government response has been problematic which is an amazing admission from a man who never admits errors or takes responsibility for anything. I also posted this comment on Pen and Sword: Several months ago, the NOAA predicted a heavy hurricane season, currently projected at 20 tropical storms and 10 hurricanes where 6 of them become major hurricanes. There's a distinct possibility that the gulf states will be hit by more hurricanes before the season ends on Nov. 30th.

Lost Languages

2005-08-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

Before resuming my brief review of Afghani history, I should make a few comments concerning the Proto-Elamite and Indus Valley civilizations. Both cultures rose to prominence alongside the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and China. Afghanistan lay at the crossroads of those cultures' trading routes. Although the Proto-Elamite and Indus Valley cultures had significant roles in the development of civilization, relatively little is known about them since their written languages have not been deciphered. The Proto-Elamite civilization developed one of the first written scripts (3050 BCE). This language is unlike Sumerian cuneiform (3300 BCE) even though the two cultures lived in close proximity. However, it is uncertain whether the Proto-Elamite spoken language was related to Elamite and no bilingual inscription like a Rosetta Stone exists. Currently, two elements are needed to decipher a written language: 1) Knowledge of the spoken language and 2) A sample of text translated into a known language or a substantial number of text samples and knowledge of the underlying culture. More than 1500 texts exist but they seem to be accounting/trade records; the text may not correlate well with the actual language. Proto-Elamite script was used over a far larger area than the kingdom of Elam. Samples have been found as far east as Afghanistan, which clearly indicates that trade extended into that region. In the case of the Indus Valley civilization writing, even worse problems prevent decipherment. Only very short samples of text exist in the form of carved stone stamps and insignia on pottery and metal objects. For whatever reason, they did not write on walls, tombs or statues, although it is likely they used some type of paper which has not survived the last 3800 or more years. In addition, the spoken language is almost completely unknown. Linguists might be able to work backwards from existing languages to obtain a "source" language but this is only theoretical. There is a great deal of interest in investigating this language since it may shed much information on the development of Indo-European languages. This lack of information is especially unfortunate since this culture was unique in several respects. Although they controlled an area larger than ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, their rulers did not build huge monuments to their own egos, possibly due to their somewhat more egalitarian society. This may explain why the civilization was not rediscovered by western scientists until 1921. Aristoboulus, an emissary of Alexander the Great, wrote of seeing ruins in 326 BCE, but no other historical record exists. In any case, they preferred to spend their time engaged in careful city planning, and building advanced drainage and sewage systems, granaries, docks, and harbors for their trading ships. Trade was apparently an important part of their economy and Indus Valley artifacts have been found in ancient Sumerian sites. I think there is a tendency to judge a "great" civilization by the size of the monuments that it erects. However, if I were the ruler of a nation, I'd build sewage systems to avoid epidemics before bankrupting the country by erecting large and useless pyramids. Source: Lost Languages by Andrew Robinson, 2002

In case you're wondering what's up . . .

2005-08-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

T-lady has been reading my novel. Ain't she a sweetheart? Since it's humongous, she wants to read it all in one shot rather than come back to it every few days. At the rate she's reading, she should be finished by tomorrow, and back to blogging by Saturday. Doug (Mr. T-lady)

T-lady's keppy hurts

2005-08-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

Karen has been having bad migraines the last few days. Migraines that laugh in the face of Imitrex. She's planning on continuing her Afghani history; next up, Alexander the Great finds out he isn't well nigh invulnerable. I'll use this political platform to say one thing. George Bush needs to get on with his life. Preferably in the crappiest, most water bug-infested nursing home in Mississippi, cuz that's what he deserves. Thank you ;o) Doug

Crossroads

2005-08-13T23:19:00.000-07:00

Due to its geographic location, Afghanistan occupied a critical junction in the Asian trade routes, in particular the ancient Silk Road system. The Khyber Pass is one of the few roads through the mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush region. The name, Hindu Kush, may have originated from the phrase, 'killer of Indians' due the high mortality rate of slaves who died en route to auction. At one point, the pass bottlenecks to less than 10 feet wide, creating an important strategic position for an invading army. The mountains range from 11,000 to 23,000 ft., making them almost impenetrable, particularly in antiquity. In comparison, Mt. Everest is 29,035 ft. Despite the rugged environment, archaeologic evidence shows that Afghanistan has been inhabited for approximately 100,000 years by humans and neanderthals. At Aq Kupruk in northern Afghanistan, there is evidence for domestication of plants and animals dating back many millennia. Remains of early villages date to 7000 B.C. Unfortunately, due to the decades of war, scientific investigation has been severely curtailed. To the west lies present-day Iran. By approximately 6000 B.C, the Iranian plateau, encompassing eastern Iran and Western Afghanistan, was widely settled by small farming villages. Southwest of the plateau was the Proto-Elamite civilization, lasting 3200 B.C. to 2700 B.C. , but with origins several millennia earlier, and the city of Susa, dating to 7000 B.C. To the west lay the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt. South of Afghanistan lies the Pakistani province of Balochistan and the Mehrgarh archaeological site, 1, 2, which was settled approximately 7000 B.C. The inhabitants were eventually able to farm wheat and barley, raise domesticated animals, and make pottery, jewelry, and figurines. From the Balochistan settlements, the Indus Valley civilization was founded, 1, 2. The Indus River Valley civilization, 2800 B.C. to 1800 B.C., is also known as the Harappan Civilization of the Indus Valley. Its earliest settlements date to 3500 B.C. Over 1,000 villages and cities have been discovered, encompassing Pakistan and parts of Afghanistan and India. This highly developed civilization had a huge trading network with Afghanistan, Persia, Mesopotamia and India. Since approximately 7000 B.C. and the birth of civilization, Afghanistan has occupied a strategic position for trade routes, invading armies, the spread of Islam, etc. Even today, Afghanistan is a geopolitical keystone. In the 1990s, Unocal was interested in building a natural gas pipeline beginning in Turkmenistan, through Afghanistan, and ending in Pakistan. In the next few days, I'll be hitting the high points of the last nine millennia. Tomorrow: Alexander the Great nearly bites it at the Khyber Pass.

Working on a short history of Afghanistan

2005-08-12T23:34:00.000-07:00

I'll start posting tomorrow starting with prehistoric Afghanistan which dates back to 100,000 BC.

Nothing Today, Tarantula Feeding Day

2005-08-11T23:05:00.000-07:00

What will it take?

2005-08-10T23:16:00.000-07:00

Bush's poll numbers on Iraq have spiraled down inexorably. In particular, the recent deaths of 14 Marines from a powerful roadside bomb have eroded public support of the Iraq War. Like the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, huge explosions and casualties can change U.S. policy. If there are successful bombings and mass casualties, the war will become more and more unpopular. Bush will be forced to change course in Iraq. Does that mean I want to see Americans die in battle? No. I've seen the photos that the mainstream media will not publish. I know what an IED will do to arms, legs, and faces, the areas unprotected by body armor. But, I wonder if anything less than widespread public outrage will stop the delusions of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the neocons. The general public won't pay attention if there aren't spectacular killings. Remember when the death of one soldier would be prominently displayed in the news? Would that even get reported today? If U.S. soldiers and Marines die at the rate of 1-2 per day, the war will just keep on going indefinitely. How long until it goes past 2,000, past 3,000, past how many more until it ends? How many Iraqi civilians will die? How many children will suffer the agonizing brutality of war? How many of our civil rights will go down the toilet? What will happen to our economy? Will al Qaeda strike in the U.S.? Bush is creating huge numbers of guerrilla fighters with extensive experience in bomb making and urban warfare. It isn't very hard to attack a subway system or a crowded mall. Must it take some spectacularly awful atrocity to end Bush's idiocy in Iraq? I hope very, very much this will not happen, but I fear for the worst.

Two Short Posts Today

2005-08-09T19:42:00.000-07:00

Finally Questioning Pentagon Reports on Iraqi Insurgents? From an Aug. 8, 2005 article from UPI: "If the U.S. Army and its Iraqi allies are killing [and detaining] as many insurgents as reports indicate they are per month, why is the insurgency intensifying instead of collapsing? " For God's sake, didn't the MSM realize the Pentagon was spewing pure crap for the last two years? I've never believed goverment statistics on the number of so-called Iraqi insurgents killed or captured. Finally, someone took the trouble to write about it. The reporter, Martin Sieff, takes care not to baldly accuse the U.S. of killing and detaining innocent civilians but I think that's exactly what is occurring. There's been more than a few accusations of unwarranted and/or illegal detentions. If the U.S. is torturing and murdering innocent civilians in Iraqi and Afghani prisons, how can you trust them to tell the truth about civilian casualties on the battlefield? Commemorations of Rascism on the Anniversary of the Nagasaki Bombing I hate Dec. 7th, Aug. 6th and Aug. 9th. I'm Japanese-American and I've had to put up a lot of rascist bullshit, particularly on those days. Guess what. I'm not responsible for what Japan did during World War II. I'm not responsible for the trade deficit or the fact that Japanese cars are better than American cars. Yet, somehow, people feel compelled to argue with me over those issues. Even some relatively intelligent people have done it, which points out that prejudice can infect nearly anyone. On a few occasions, people have spontaneously decided to tell me about Japanese atrocities during WWII; excuse me, but I'm fairly well educated and I already know about it. Those war crimes are often used to rationalize the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 'Japan deserved it because of the Rape of Nanking and Pearl Harbor'. Too bad those Japanese civilians bore little responsibility for those actions. The media always presents documentaries and news reports on the Aug. 6th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing but,to avoid accusations of sympathizing with the enemy, they always feel compelled to trot out the usual stories of Japanese war crimes. Exactly how does one atrocity excuse another? P.S. Please support Cindy Sheehan and her protest against Bush and the Iraq War.

Baghdad Rambo

2005-08-08T22:28:00.000-07:00

Frequently, human males overdose on testosterone, especially the now ubiquitous Hollywood variety. That makes them susceptible to stupid, macho fantasies. They don't even have the intelligence of male tarantulas who know they should run away from the large, toothy shadow that DOESN'T have good (or amorous) intentions. The machismo stereotype has probably existed since time immemorial with groups of neolithic hunters bragging about their hunting prowess and the mastodon that got away, continuing through Greek warlords claiming to be the sons of Zeus, and finally arriving in blockbuster films with muscle-bound, steroid-swigging, action stars whose "stunts" are the product of CGI effects. These manly men conquer armies single-handed. The hero needs a suitable villain, one with equal proficiency. And if he doesn't exist, you gotta make him up. Have you heard about Juba, the Baghdad Sniper? He's killed or injured dozens of U.S. soldiers over the past year or so, becoming something of a legend for his skill. So, who is this highly trained expert marksman? A former Republican Guard soldier from Saddam's elite forces? Apparently, he's a former calligrapher and shepherd who deserted from the Iraqi Army several years ago. He picked up his expertise from web searches, playing video games and watching 'Enemy at the Gates', 'The Deer Hunter', and 'JFK'. This is hardly the first time the enemy has been romanticized. For example, the Viet Cong were acclaimed for their hit and run tactics, and the vast tunnel systems they built which enabled them to plan their operations. This elusive and deadly enemy was scared to death of the U.S. Marines who were viewed as gigantic, powerful and deadly fighters. Obviously, it is easy to inflate the abilities of your enemy; your allies are a different matter. During the siege of Tora Bora, the U.S. decided to pay Afghani warlords to capture al Qaeda fighters rather than risk U.S. troops. Afghan mercenaries were less than impressed by U.S. Special Forces who they considered to be cowardly for showing fear. I don't believe that U.S. Special Forces are inordinately fearful; the accusation of cowardice may be more a question of a cultural misunderstanding rather than courage. However, the Afghani people do have a 2300-year history of bravery in battle going back to Alexander the Great's invasion in 328 BC. So, to steal from Sun Tzu, understand your enemy, understand yourself and understand your allies. Since we did't understand the Iraqis or the Afghani people, we were at least half-way screwed from the moment we invaded their countries. Bush has completed the process by continuing our ignorance so now we're totally screwed.

Dubya Plays Limbo

2005-08-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

How low can he go? The Ap/Ipsos poll, undertaken Aug. 1-3 , showed support for the Iraq War at 38%; previous polling this summer showed support in the low 40s. Newsweek's poll, Aug. 2-4, had a whopping 61% of the public disapproving of his handling of the war. 34% approved, down from 41% a month ago. 18 U.S. soldiers died on Aug. 3rd which is likely to have affected the Newsweek poll to some extent. The Iraqi insurgent groups have access to media reports; undoubtedly, they know how the U.S. public is reacting. I'm wondering if they're planning another big attack.

Weapons of Mass Delusion

2005-08-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

Where did the phrase 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' originate? During the Cold War no one ever used that histrionic phrase in television or newspapers to describe nuclear weapons. It only came into common usage during Bush's public relations campaign to drum up support for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. I started my research with Wikipedia and discovered it was first used to describe the aerial bombardment of Guernica, Spain in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The weapons used were conventional aerial bombs; the amount of damage was massive, not the type of weapon. After World War II, the United Nations categorized nuclear weapons as a type of WMD and the phrase then became common in arms control discussions as a general term encompassing nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons. However, there is no consensus on a precise definition in the diplomatic community which renders the word useless for any type of international agreement. For example, a good arms control treaty must contain very exact language describing all details. A vague term like WMD cannot be used in such a document or, for that matter, any other type of detailed and substantive discussion. Overly dramatic terms are often used in politics and the media by demagogues who wish to curtail rational discussion. There's even a contest to judge such phrases. In 2003, "Lake Superior State University issued its 28th annual ‘extreme’ List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness", which included WMD. When I first heard the phrase from an ex-alcoholic and cocaine addict, I thought, "Doesn't this sound like an hysterical rant that's designed to frighten and coerce? Why is anyone taking this seriously? Show me some evidence and a detailed analysis, and then explain why no other nation except the U.K. is backing up these statements." Unfortunately, WMD seems to have permanently entered common everyday usage. I briefly watched part of a documentary that ridiculously described a WWII Japanese submarine as a weapon of mass destruction. This versatile phrase seems perfectly designed to demonize an enemy and his weapons. How rovewellian. P.S. Happy Hiroshima Day.

Nothing Tonight

2005-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Road to Baghdad

2005-08-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

If you watch the news, you must have seen reports detailing the deaths of 14 Marines on Aug. 3rd when a roadside bomb destroyed their amphibious vehicle. The public has become jaded by the steady stream of U.S. casualties but yesterday's attack was unusual. Besides the large numbers killed, using this vehicle seemed like an odd choice for the Marines. The AAVP7A1 armored assault amphibious vehicle, aka Amtrack or Amtrac, is designed to carry soldiers from troop ships to beach landings. The lack of any water did not deter the Marines from using this transport; the military simply does not have enough appropriate vehicles for Iraq's environment. Unfortunately, the Amtrack is more vulnerable than the Bradley Fighting Vehicle due to lighter armor. Not only did the blast kill 14, the entire vehicle was overturned. Photos are posted here. Iraqi insurgents have steadily grown more sophisticated in their attacks, especially in the manufacturing and tactical use of IEDs. The Amtrack weighs approximately 25 tons, which demonstrates the power of the blast. Previously, insurgents attacked an Amtrack on May 11, 2005, killing two Marines. There may have been other attacks against this type of vehicle but it is quite tedious to compile detailed lists of dead and wounded. The humvee weighs approximately 0.5 tons (9800 lbs.). Even the armored version has been successfully attacked on numerous occasions. The Stryker Infantry Vehicle weighs 17 tons. Four soldiers died on April 28, 2005 from an IED. This is a new vehicle which may replace the humvee to some extent. The Bradley Fighting Vehicle weighs 25 tons. An Army staff sergeant was killed Nov. 8, 2003 when an IED hit his vehicle. The M-1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank weighs weighs 70 tons. On Jan. 10, 2005 an Abrams tank was destroyed, killing two and wounding four. Taking out a heavily armored 70-ton tank is not easy. Even if these tanks were impregnable, they cannot be used indefinitely in a civilian setting. The tanks are too heavy and will tear up roads, bridges, etc. When I first saw a humvee, I thought they were ridiculous vehicles. In order to use the machine gun, the unprotected soldier must stand up in the hole in the roof and expose himself to enemy fire. Why not just paint a target on your helmet to make it easier for insurgents firing RPGs? Obviously, none of these vehicles are perfect but the humvees are a travesty.

Lies That Distort and Kill

2005-08-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

For those who are interested in Rovewellian techniques, Republican talking points commonly utilize two logical fallacies, the Strawman argument and ad hominem tu quoque. In the Strawman argument, you mistate and distort your opponent's position, attack the revision, and then claim you have won. For example, Gore introduced legislation that was vital to the development of the internet. The Republicans said Gore claimed that he invented the internet and therefore he was a liar and self-promoter. The ad hominem tu quoque logical fallacy uses hypocrisy to "refute" the argument. I.e., your argument must be false because you do it too. When Bush and his minions are caught in a lie, their supporters immediately attack Clinton's statements concerning Monica Lewinsky. In other words, it doesn't matter if the Bush Administration's lies resulted in 100,000s of deaths in Iraq because Clinton said he didn't have sex with Lewinsky. The links to Wikipedia give a fuller explanation of these techniques and other variations.

Oil for Blood

2005-08-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Today, Knight-Ridder Newspapers reported: "The bodies of the dead Nigerian villagers hadn't yet grown cold when a navy captain presented Chevron with a bill: 15,000 naira, or $165...". The Jan. 4, 1999 raid by Nigerian soldiers killed an estimated 74 civilians, giving Chevron the bargain price of $2.23 per dead body. However, Chevron supplied the helicopter and boats used in the attack so presumably the soldiers' only expenses were the bullets. Nigeria has been severely criticized for the past decade by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, etc. for human rights abuses in the oil-rich Niger River Delta. Although it has been obvious for some time that oil companies have aided the government and profited from the exploitation, Chevron apparently took it one step farther and gave direct logistical support to the soldiers. Chevron's involvement has been known since 1999. However, due to a federal lawsuit filed by the victims, the company has been forced to turn over documents. I googled the mainstream media and none of them are carrying the story except, of course, the Knight Ridder news chain.

Declaring Victory?

2005-08-01T18:51:00.000-07:00

According to this Newsweek article, Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and "the Pentagon [have] developed a detailed plan in recent months to scale down the U.S. troop presence in Iraq to about 80,000 by mid-2006 and down to 40,000 to 60,000 troops by the end of that year". Guess what's wrong with this picture. The Iraqi Army and police force have been widely criticized as unprepared to take over security duties. Given the grim picture of a well-entrenched and dedicated insurgency and the threat from extremist-controlled militias, how is it possible to withdraw troops and maintain some security? It isn't. The problem is the U.S. has no other option. A few months ago, the Pentagon announced they would draw down most of the reservist and guard units by the end of this year due to a mandated two year limit on deployment. These units comprise about 40,000 soldiers. The Army said they would reshuffle their regular active-duty units to make up the shortfall. That's a good way to grind the troops into the ground by forcing one tour-of-duty after another after another. As it is, some Army soldiers are on their third tour of duty with some Marines on their fourth. Attentive readers may have noticed that recruitment is in the toilet. At the current rate, the Army will be 7,000 recruits short of their goal by September. That isn't even taking into account the likelihood that many of those recruits will not make it through basic training. The military has dramatically reduced their standards which means more recruits will have questionable arrest records, drug and alcohol problems, lack of education, mental health issues, etc. What will happen when the U.S. soldiers start to leave? If the U.S. tries to occupy the whole of Iraq with fewer soldiers, there will be a dramatic increase in military and civilian casualties. If the soldiers withdraw to the military bases and only protect the oil fields, the rest of Iraq will fragment and explode in genocide, disease, starvation and civil war. I'm sure that the Bush Admin will try to spin the withdrawal in the most positive way but will the public believe it?

I'm a Tarantula Nerd

2005-07-31T11:58:00.000-07:00

Hey, there's a reason I chose Tarantula Lady as my ID. A week ago, I posted that I would try to mate a pair of my Avicularia metallica tarantulas. The female was throwing up, however. I'm serious, tarantulas throw up sometimes. I was concerned she was ill (no, she did not have morning sickness), so I postponed their date. Well, they just did the deed and we saw the male got in some inserts. I took him out and he's cleaning himself off at the moment. I'll probably put them together in a week or so; this will give him a chance to recharge his bulbs with sperm. Want a detailed explanation of the mating process? Go to Arachnopets.com.

Nothing Today

2005-07-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

Gulab: Hero or Village Idiot?

2005-07-29T23:54:00.000-07:00

I had intended to offer a commentary on this subject but I was distracted by other matters. A few weeks ago, there was heavy news coverage concerning a helicopter rescue mission for four Navy SEALs which went awry when the Taliban fighters successfully shot down one of the helicopters. One of the SEALs managed to survive with the help of an Afghan civilian. My first reaction was surprise. The incident took place in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan where the populace is either sympathetic or scared shitless of the Taliban. Why would a native help an Navy SEAL? Time magazine had a extensive article on Gulab, the friendly villager. Unfortunately, I took so much time to write this story that now Time is requiring actual money to read the article. Damn, don't they know that everything on the web should be free? ;) Oh, well, you'll just have to take my word for what they wrote. Gulab, a Pashtun shepherd, was rounding up his goats and accidentally rounded up a human. To be less flippant, he stumbled across the wounded commando who had the good sense not to immediately kill Gulab. The Navy SEAL managed to make it to Gulab's village where he was given shelter by the community elders. The Taliban came by and demanded they turn over the American but the elders refused since that violated their beliefs for granting hospitality to strangers. The Taliban left. Gulab carried a message to nearby U.S. military base and the soldier was saved. Gulab and his family apparently left their village due to fear of reprisals. This story bothers me. I know that there is a tradition among the Pashtuns called Pashtunwali. Essentially, it's a tradition of helping your fellow man which is similar to the Middle Eastern practice of generosity to your guests. Still, risking your life, the lives of your family and maybe the entire village sounds extreme. Also, why did the Taliban just accept the refusal of the village elders? Were they outnumbered by the villagers? Was it against the beliefs of the Taliban to violate the traditions of the villagers? The Taliban are also Pashtun and they may very well have the same beliefs. Alternatively, they may not have wanted to alienate the local people. Another possibility? The military is lying through their teeth. I may sound paranoid but the U.S. has been caught in so many lies that they don't have very much credibility with me. I'm not too sure how much credibility the U.S. military currently have with the Pashtun, either. Afterwards, as part of their attack on Taliban fighters, they bombed another village and killed 17 civilians . Allegedly, the U.S. attacked a home where several Taliban fighters were located. After the first bomb attack, the local villagers came to help the injured and the U.S. dropped more bombs. I thought it was rather ironic that a humanitarian tradition saved an American soldier while also leading the U.S. to kill 17 civilians.

Haunted By the Ghost of Eric Shinseki

2005-07-28T21:55:00.000-07:00

Most news junkies are familiar with Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki; his name still comes up in analyses of the U.S. failures in Iraq. Prior to the invasion, his testimony before congress triggered the wrath of the neocons when he stated several hundred thousand soldiers would be required to invade and occupy the country. Two years before, Shinseki had come into conflict with the Bush administration and Donald Rumsfeld. The congressional hearing was the last big salvo. Since the U.S. didn't have several hundred thousand soldiers to invade and occupy Iraq, Shinseki was actually stating that the war was a very bad idea. He really did know what he was talking about; back in 2000, he gave this interview to Frontline. He spoke about how the military's role had changed to encompass dealing with terrorism, peacekeeping missions, WMDs, humanitarian assistance, etc. and how to restructure the army to meet those needs. He also said that soldiers deserved better than to lose their lives needlessly because of poor planning by their superiors. I guess it's not surprising that he didn't get along with Rumsfeld.

Good Ways to Catch the Attention of Homeland Security

2005-07-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Just how paranoid are you? Have you ever stopped a moment before signing a petition because you thought that would get you on a government watchlist? Do you suspect that the FBI is monitoring your internet usage? I have to admit that I wonder if the government knows that I'm a member of Amnesty International or the ACLU. According to this press release, the FBI is keeping files on the ACLU and other organizations. I think that it is safe to be a member of Amnesty International, though; they won the Nobel Peace Prize several years ago. Last night, I googled how to make homemade bombs. Besides tempting fate and possible FBI interest, I wanted to find out whether or not it was an overhyped media story. Well, no, it's not. In about 15 minutes, I found a website with recipes for different types of explosives, detonators, timing devices, advice for concealing bombs, etc. As I have a B.Sc. in chemistry, I wouldn't recommend trying out any of these recipes without seriously researching the subject since God only knows what kind of loonies wrote this. Still, some of the directions looked plausible. Is there spyware on my computer that is secretly recording every keystroke? Is Microsoft gathering this data and turning me in to the NSA? All countries face the problem of balancing freedom vs. security. The Patriot Act contains a good many provisions to intimidate citizens without providing any gain in safety. However, I am not sure if any government agency is actually using these laws in a substantial way to curtail civil rights. The FBI is pretty lame compared to the Gestapo or Romania's Securitate. They're undergoing massive restructuring, loss of authority and a $100 million botched computer system upgrade. I don't worry that a government agency is out to get me. I'm not important enough. Damned few people are important enough to justify the resources required for surveillance. No security service has ever existed that could spy on everyone all the time. In the grim example of Romania's Securitate, citizens were so indoctrinated and fearful that they reported their own neighbors for suspicious activity, but that still required the government to investigate, arrest, interrogate, etc. It is far more efficient to intimidate the majority of citizens into slavishly obeying the law by making a few well-publicized examples. Go ahead and sign petitions, write critical letters to the media, attend protests, and generally bitch and complain about the government. They can't put everyone in jail. If you don't exercise your rights now, that encourages the government to curtail our freedoms.

Nazis: Always Good For a Knee-Jerk Response

2005-07-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

According to Godwin's law , "as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches [100%]". Yesterday, I was searching around for a topic to blog and having little luck. I thought, "Aha, Nazis, always good to incite strong feelings". :) Well, seriously, I was going to write a timeline on how civil rights were eliminated in Germany. It's an interesting subject and I may still write about it in the future. As I was researching the subject, I discovered that the Nazi party never managed to get more than 37.2% of the popular vote. In 1932-33, no political party had a majority in the Reichstag (parliament) so on January 4, 1933, a coalition was formed between the Nazis and a right-wing conservative party led by Alfred Hugenberg, a wealthy media mogul. I must admit that I flashed on Rupert Murdoch at that point. The rest was horrifying history; Hitler immediately grabbed absolute power and became dictator. I was curious about what became of Alfred Hugenberg since you don't dance with the devil and expect to keep your soul. Unlike many of Hitler's political enemies, he managed to avoid the concentration camps but ended up losing his media companies to the Nazis. Interesting history but BFD, right? Too commonly, there is a tendency to invoke the vast corporate conspiracy which corrupts government and highjacks true democracy. I've done it many times but I admit that's an oversimplification. While Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of a military-industrial complex which threatened American institutions of government, he did not blame all corporations. Corporate America is not a monolith. They have competing interests and their lobbyists fight each other in the halls of Congress. Although they enjoy the tax breaks and subsidies bestowed by our honorable legislators, they don't determine who we invade and when we go to war. If they did, the Iraq War wouldn't be such a monumental screw-up. Oil company executives did not want to invade Iraq since the risks did not outweigh the rewards. They make huge amounts of money anyway; why risk the entire Middle East going up in flames? Fascist governments have close ties to corporations and ignore the interests of the public. Still, while I.G. Farben may have profited by their Zyklon B contract, how did those executives feel as they watched their cities bombed into rubble? I'm pretty sure that wasn't good for business.

Do You Feel Like a Loyal Patriot? A Political Rant

2005-07-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

There's been a torrent of Op-Ed pieces over the red state/blue state split in America. After the 2004 election, the San Jose Mercury News printed a slightly tongue-in-cheek picture of a U.S. map with all blue states attempting to escape to Canada. How divided are we? I'm uncomfortable even writing that last sentence. There is no we; there's only two bitterly divided groups: the blues who consider themselves cosmopolitan and educated and the reds who hold themselves up as the last bastion of morality. One could argue that there's a large group of apathetic centrists who have little interest in even voting, but they're not the ones who drive the poltical debate. Except for our blowhard politicians, when was the last time that you heard anyone say "we Americans"? When was the last time that you wrote "our government"? Most Americans would say that the government is controlled by right-wing Republicans but they would be wrong. The U.S. is controlled by corporations and demagogues who, while enriching themselves and their friends at government expense, seek to distract the general public into fighting one another in a verbal civil war over issues like gay marriage and abortion. This wouldn't matter as much if it was just a question of government corruption. As any historian will tell you, corruption is the price of democracy; only absolute dictatorships can ensure total accountability. No, it's the death and destruction in Iraq that matters. Except for a few yellow stickers haphazardly placed on bumpers, there are few visible signs that the country is at war. The public feels little or no direct effect which would distract from the usual media babble; the pain is primarily borne by a thin demographic section that supplies the military recruits. U.S. deaths are closing in on 2,000 but there is little outcry. Casualty reports have been banished to the back pages of newspapers or relegated to the thin ribbon crawling along the bottom of the television screen. At best, they're worthy of a three-second sound bite, accompanied by appropriately sad music. The Bush administration orchestrated the unseen war by rigorously preventing the press from reporting honestly on the blood soaking the ground in Iraq. The "news" consists of press releases handed out by a military spokesman and some sanitized video taken by Iraqi cameramen, the only news employees who dare to leave the Green Zone. There is no blood, no screaming soldiers and civilians whose limbs lie twisted and mangled; sensitive viewers might complain and real life might become too real. None of this is lost upon the U.S. soldiers in Iraq. I can't bring myself to call them "our" soldiers; my soldiers wouldn't fight a war based on a lie, torture innocents because they might have information about terrorists, or continue to support a president who has cost them lives and credibility. Those soldiers in Iraq are correct when they worry whether the public still supports them. If Iraq is Vietnam-in-a-desert, what will U.S. veterans face after Iraq dissolves into a morass of civil war, terrorism, and butchery? Will returning soldiers be welcomed home with parades? Or will they be scapegoated as failures? That's what happened after Vietnam. It took decades for public opinion to acknowledge that the leadership was the failure; it was far easier to blame the foot soldiers for "not being good enough, not like the dedicated soldiers in World War II". The soldiers will be an easy target for the Bush administration to use to deflect responsibility because the public doesn't really care about them. They may wave a flag on July 4th but how many people care about the lack of body armor? They care more about the price of gasoline and that's because they aren't our soldiers. As far as the public is concerned, they're just a group of people who volunteered to join the military and tough luck that they got sent to war. The United States is not a country. It is a collection of special interest groups with so little patriotism that they don't even blink an eye when they see their politicians commit treason.

I won't be posting on Sunday

2005-07-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

Seriously, tomorrow is tarantula feeding day and maybe I'll get around to trying to mate my pair of Avicularia metallica tarantulas. Hopefully, the female will play nice.

Nuclear Japan

2005-07-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Or, how Japan may learn to love the bomb. Obviously, Japan has the technology and resources to build pretty much any military weapon in existence. It does not have the political or cultural inclination to produce nuclear weapons, at least, not currently. As Japan lacks natural resources, it has increasingly turned to nuclear energy for the production of electricity, despite public trepidation over the accidental release of radioactive material. By 2010, 40% of their electricity will come from nuclear power plants. This points out Japan's quite serious energy problems. Although they are the only country to have experienced nuclear warfare, they are still willing to build nuclear power plants in the most earthquake-prone nation on earth. In addition to the "usual" uranium power plants, Japan also built two fast-breeder reactors. These reactors use plutonium and, moreover, produce more plutonium in the waste product. This waste product can be re-processed to obtain more plutonium. Thus, as stated in this link: "By 2003 Japan owned more plutonium than in the United States nuclear arsenal...In 2003 Japan owned 38 tons of plutonium, 5 tons located in the country and 33 tons at its European processors. That is enough for 7,000 nuclear weapons. Japan is also accelerating its production of plutonium. By 2010, the amount of plutonium being stockpiled in Europe will have mounted to 45 tons." While reactor-grade plutonium is not as pure as weapons-grade, it can still be used for nuclear warheads. Of course, there is nothing to prevent the Japanese from purifying their plutonium. The second question is method of delivery. Within a very short time, they could build a Nagasaki-type bomb and use aircraft to deliver it. They also have alternative technology. Japan has had a commercial space program since 1963; starting in 1970, they have launched satellites using solid-fuel rockets. Currently, they have two types of missiles that are suitable for conversion to intercontinental ballistic missiles. However, they would still have to design and build the re-entry vehicle to detonate the warhead. So, why should anyone care? The Japanese aren't going to bomb anyone with conventional weapons, much less start a nuclear holocaust. Although many Asian nations are still quite suspicious of Japanese motives due to lingering memories of World War II, there is no evidence of any type of militarism in Japan. Besides, there's no need for Japan to become a nuclear power; since the end of World War II, the U.S. has guaranteed Japan's security. That is, there is no need as long as the U.S. has the capability and desire to protect Japan. How long will that last? Damned if I know. However, China and Japan are wrangling over the natural gas fields in the East China Sea. This is just a prelude to the increasingly desperate struggle over access to oil and other natural resources that are vital to industrialized nations and the emerging superpower, China. As Iraq spirals into civil war, its oil exports will drop even below its current paltry level and further strain supplies. Bush, aka Bushusuru the Younger (scroll to end to 8 Jan 1992), put the U.S. in hock to the central bank of China, which limits American options; essentially, China can crush the U.S. economy by selling the $200 billion in T-bills/bonds that are held by China's central bank. Plus, in 1994 and 1998, North Korea shot medium-range missiles over Japan which landed in the Pacific; that, coupled with their suspected nuclear arsenal, would make anyone nervous. Japan and the U.S. need each other; for example, Japan's central bank holds $800 billion in T-bills and the U.S. hold Japan's security. They are tied by economic and military necessity, but only an idiot believes that conditions will never change.

Nothing Today, Maybe Tomorrow

2005-07-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

Rove & Libby Caught Lying to Grand Jury?

2005-07-21T23:28:00.000-07:00

Someone perjured himself to Fitzgerald. See link. Libby told Special Prosecuter Fitzgerald that he learned Plame's identity from Tim Russert. Tim Russert told a grand jury NO, I didn't tell Libby about Plame. Rove told Fitzgerald he learned Plame's identity from Robert Novak. Novak "has given a somewhat different version to the special prosecutor". The story goes on to detail discrepancies between Matt Cooper's testimony, and Rove's. Perjury: probably. But there may be more serious charges pending. Technorati tags: karl rove, perjury, Treason, Plame

Cooking People the High Tech Way

2005-07-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not referring to Islam Karimov, the dictator of Uzbekistan who likes to boil his enemies alive. That's low tech. My subject is the Active Denial System, scheduled to go into service in Iraq in 2006. In development for more than ten years by the Air Force, it is a non-lethal energy beam weapon intended for use against rioters and combatants. The weapon fires a 95-gigahertz microwave beam which causes an intense burning sensation within 2-3 seconds. The manufacturer, Raytheon, and military developers claim that the device does not cause permanent damage and, hence, is safer than taser weapons, tear gas, rubber bullets, etc. Unfortunately, there are still a few lingering questions. Test subjects were required to remove their contact lenses, glasses, and any metal objects before exposure. Due to the lack of details provided, possible corneal damage (literally cooking your eye), or very uncomfortably located burns from metal zippers could possibly occur in a riot situation. Since the beam induces extreme pain without apparent lasting damage or scars, it could also be used as a very effective torture device. Raytheon is also developing a hand-held version for use by police and security forces, thus increasing the likelihood of "non-sanctioned" use by official agencies, criminals, terrorists, and freedom fighters (okay, I admit it, I'm being sarcastic). Incidentally, this technology isn't foolproof. Remember how you're not supposed to put metal in your microwave oven? A microwave beam can be deflected by metal plate or foil. Or, have you seen the episodes in Mythbusters when Jaime and Adam painted themselves gold? Protesters might walk around covered in gold and wearing tin-foil hats.

Why Don't They Love Us?

2005-07-20T19:15:00.000-07:00

EXTREME SARCASM WARNING! I've never understood how people can ignore reality. I like reality, sanity and logic. Take the neocons (non)plan for Iraq. Why did they think the Iraqi civilians would welcome U.S. soldiers? Twelve years of sanctions resulted in the deaths of 500,000 Iraqi children under the age of five, plus 500,000 adults through malnutrition, lack of medical supplies, filthy water, etc. Or was it 1.5 million? It's hard to come up with a figure since the greatest press in the free world doesn't like to talk about it. Yes, yes, I know, Saddam Hussein is a Bad Man and he's responsible for everything. And whatever he didn't do, then the Syrians did it, or maybe the Iranians. It's hard to keep up with the Axis of Evil. Besides, the sanctions were a noble attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Denis Halliday, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraqi aid, well, he shouldn't have resigned in 1998. It was so insulting when he said,"I don't want to administer a programme that satisfies the definition of genocide."

More Fun with Doomsday

2005-07-19T23:18:00.000-07:00

The second sarin attack was the Tokyo subway gassing. According to this CDC report,

"On the morning of March 20, 1995, packages were placed on five different trains in the Tokyo subway system. The packages consisted of plastic bags filled with a chemical mix and wrapped inside newspapers. Once placed on the floor of the subway car, each bag was punctured with a sharpened umbrella tip, and the material was allowed to spill onto the floor of the subway car. As the liquid spread out and evaporated, vaporous agent spread throughout the car...The attack was carried out at virtually the same moment at five different locations in the world's largest city: five trains, many kilometers apart, all converging on the center of Tokyo [where key government agencies were located]. The resulting deaths and injuries were spread throughout central Tokyo."

Twelve people died and more than 5,000 were injured. Japanese police agencies believed that the goal was the instigation of Armageddon. Alternate theories held that it was an attempt to: 1) distract the police from a planned raid upon the group's main headquarters, or 2) destabilize the government, which would lead to Asahara's control of Japan. In any case, the attack did not kill as many as one would expect; the sarin they produced probably contained impurities. Also, if they had chosen a different dispersal method that produced aerosolized droplets, for example, far more deaths would have occurred. The Japanese authorities began arresting members of Aum Shinrikyo within 48 hours, although some perpetrators took years to apprehend. Asahara was arrested in his meditation chamber at the group's compound. Since Asahara refused to cooperate with his court-appointed lawyers, his trial lasted almost 8 years. He was sentenced to death by hanging on February 27, 2004. His case is under appeal. Twelve other members of the group were sentenced to death and five others received life sentences for the sarin attacks, the Sakamoto killings, the murders of dissident cult members, and others. More than 190 members have been convicted of lesser charges. In 1999, the group changed their name to Aleph and disavowed violence, although a recruit died on Jan. 3rd, 2005 during a "training accident". Aleph is closely monitored by Japanese authorities. Keroyon, a separate group created by former members, was involved in the Sept. 10, 2004 beating death of a 36-year-old female recruit. Both groups still worship Asahara. So what's the point? Morbid curiosity? Well, yes, but I was interested in the different motivations and capabilities of terrorist groups. Extremist religious groups with delusional leaders may wish to commit apocalyptic crimes for no rational reason. They have no boundaries. If Aum Shinrikyo had recruited biological scientists with expertise in recombinant DNA, they could have produced a lethal bioweapon. For example, genetically manipulate a flu virus, culture it to produce large quantities, spray the mixture liberally in airports and mass transit systems throughout the world, and voila, you've killed more than 99% of the human race. Still, Aum Shinrikyo made many errors, despite their considerable resources. A religious group may be insane enough to want to attack but too insane to adequately prepare and implement the attack. Bin Laden, on the other hand, may be motivated by hatred, but he isn't crazy or stupid; according to his fatwas, he realizes the tremendous difficulty in seeking to undermine the U.S., but, hey, you never know until you try. He doesn't expect to achieve the complete destruction of Western nations but he does want a united Islamic state, the Caliphate, that stretches through Northern Africa, through the Middle East and into central Asia. This state could fight back against the military and economic power of Western nations. First and foremost, al Qaeda is a political group and their activities are crafted to create a political effect. That is why they are less scary than Japanese Buddhist terrorist groups -- or, for that matter, any religiously motivated crazies with money, some technical ability, and a violent theology. My remarks are a short summary of a complex case. A great deal more material can be found on the web. The following are the links I used in researching this blog: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_subway_sarin_gas_attack http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum_Shinrikyo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakamoto_family_murder http://english.aleph.to/ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fd20050327pb.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040228a6.htm http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/aums.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VX http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/sarin/basics/facts.asp http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/45394.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040228a4.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040226b6.htm http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/tgp/aum.htm http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1995_rpt/aum/index.html http://www.nasog.net/intelligence/terrorism/organizations/Aum_Supreme_Truth.htm http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/programs/stia/students/vol.02/chiricom.htm http://www.nci.org/index.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040529a2.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20041022a6.htm http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ed20040711a1.htm http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/vol5no4/olson.htm Technorati tags: terrorism, London, Bin Laden, al Qaeda, Aum Shinrikyo, Aum Supreme Truth

Road to Armageddon

2005-07-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

So, last I left off I was discussing Aum Shinrikyo's first murders. By the mid '90s, the group had approximately 40,000 members in New York, Russia, Japan, Germany and Sri Lanka and one billion dollars in assets. They had also managed to attract members with advanced degrees in physics, applied physics, and organic chemistry. They did NOT appear to have attracted many experts in the biological sciences. Some of these people were very successful individuals. So why were they attracted to this rather odd religion? I am Japanese-American but that doesn't mean I have the answer. I will say that the Japanese tend to take things to extremes; if a little bit is good, then a huge amount is desirable, e.g. a very strong educational system, or more pruriently, the management at strip clubs passing out magnifying glasses to their patrons. The extremism of the cult may have appealed to Aum Shinrikyo's recruits. In any event, Aum Shinrikyo was a dangerous mixture of apocalyptic religion, wealth, resources, and technologic expertise. Asahara's motivations are difficult to parse out; his theology changed over the years and madmen are not noted for their organized thought processes. He did preach that a nuclear war between Japan and the U.S. would occur in 1997 and that ultimately, the entire world population would be dead except for a small group of Aum Shinrikyo. At least initially, however, the stated goal of the cult was the prevention of the apocalypse. Apparently toward that end, in 1989-1990 he attempted to gain political power by running candidates for the Japanese Diet (parliament). His party was soundly defeated which ended his goal to become the leader of Japan through peaceful means. The group began to investigate biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, i.e. cholera, anthrax, botulinum toxin, Q fever, ebola virus, sarin and VX nerve gas agents, and the black market purchase of nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union. They had some difficulty manufacturing anthrax and botulinum; VX, although highly lethal in small doses, does not evaporate well and works best as an aerosol. The group decided upon sarin and set up a laboratory to manufacture large quantities. The first sarin attack occurred on June 27, 1994, in the Kita-Fukashidistrict of Matsumoto in central Japan. Seven people were killed and hundreds injured. The targets were three judges who were set to hear a court case against the group. To be continued

I Had a Migraine Yesterday

2005-07-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

so I didn't post the answer on how to detonate a nuclear warhead. Sorry about that unresolved cliffhanger. Okay, I'm still under the weather so this will be short. According to Luis Alvarez, Nobel Prize winning physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project: "With modern weapons-grade uranium, the background neutron rate is so low that terrorists, if they had such material, would have a good chance of setting off a high-yield explosion simply by dropping one half of the material onto the other half... Even a high school kid could make a bomb on short order." Luis Alvarez, Adventures of a Physicist (Basic Books, 1987), p. 125. You may not get maximum yield, i.e. biggest bang for your buck, but it would certainly make the evening news and that's what terrorism is all about. Allegedly, a plutonium warhead would require shape charges in order to achieve detonation which is not quite so simple. For more information to keep you up at night, this is a link discussing Aum Shinrikyo, terrorism and nuclear bombs. However, nuclear warheads are not the most lethal weapon in the arsenal, albeit the most spectacular and expensive. I will continue this discussion later.

Religion Can Be a Bitch

2005-07-15T23:40:00.000-07:00

While watching the news on the July 7th London bombings, I saw a brief discussion on the methodology of the attack. The speaker stated that terrorist attacks are like theatrical events; the point is the intended emotional impact upon the audience. The number of deaths or injuries is not neccessarily important. After a few days of letting that stew in my brain, I decided that statement was inaccurate since terrorist groups may have vastly different goals. The Japanese religious group, Aum Shinrikyo, also known as Aum Supreme Truth is a good example. They are most famous for the March 20th, 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, 1, 2. The well-coordinated attack killed 12 and injured several thousand. In 1984, Shoko Asahara founded the religious organization later called Aum Shinrikyo. He drew his theology from Tibetan Buddhism, a deity called Shiva, some elements of Taoism, the Book of Revelations in the New Testament, the writings of Nostradamus, physicist Nicola Tesla's so-called death rays, and the science fiction Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. Asahara's sanity is questionable at best. Asahara MAY have begun as a sincere practioner of Buddhism, yoga, and meditation. Eventually, his group grew in size and wealth, attracting young and highly educated people recruited from some of the most elite Japanese universities. By 1989, though, Asahara's group had become a cult, requiring followers to turn over their personal savings, cut all ties with family members, and use various drugs to facilitate "proper" behavior. Kidnappings, assaults and threats against recruits and their families were also reported which led a lawyer, Tsutsumi Sakamoto, to work on lawsuits against the group. In November, 1989, members of Aum Shinrikyo murdered Sakamoto, his wife, and their one-year-old child. These first murders were precursors to the terrorist attacks that they believed would trigger Armageddon, a massive war that would kill almost every person on earth. Religious terrorists kill for a goal that is based upon their faith; political terrorists still deal within the real world. While Osama Bin Laden may wish to defeat the western industrialized nations, even he is not willing to risk total annihilation of the human race. Enough for tonight. Coming soon, how to explode a nuclear weapon if you have weapons grade uranium. Hint: it's easier than you think. Technorati tags: terrorism, London, Bin Laden, al Qaeda, Aum Shinrikyo, Aum Supreme Truth

Really, um, Odd Links, Huh?

2005-07-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

Inasmuch as I have incredibly few readers, this explanation is unnecessary. But, just in case someone thinks I'm either a tin-foil-hat conspiracy theorist or a secret al Qaeda sympathizer, be assured that you don't need to call Homeland Security. If you expected some sort of porno page when you clicked on Bare Rump's Diary, you were undoubtedly disappointed when you found my husband's serialized sci fi story about a 10-foot long extraterrestrial tarantula. Incidentally, those are photos of some of my pet tarantulas; hey, I really am the Tarantula Lady. Pen and Sword is written by Jeff Huber, one of the few bloggers out there who actually knows something about the military. 99.99% of all the other political bloggers (including me) are talking out of our respective asses when we discuss combat or war. The Lefty links range from liberal to Ho-Chi-Minh-City left-wing. I don't agree with everything they write but they do present a different viewpoint than the MSM. Occasionally, they will point out an outright error. I didn't include any conspiracy sites like whatreallyhappened.com even though they're sometimes good for a laugh. As for the Middle East/Asia sites, they're more interesting. Aljazeera.com is a bit like CNN for Arabs. They have been controversial in the past, which may explain why the U.S. military bombed their offices twice and are currently torturing one of their journalists in Guantanamo Bay. Uruknet.info is a hardcore Iraqi insurgency information site. They refer to themselves as the resistance; "you say terrorist, I say freedom fighter, let's call the whole thing a bloody mess." It's the view from the opposite side of the universe. It is useful because they post/link to EVERYTHING negative about U.S. involvement in Iraq. I was planning to write about really scary Buddhist terrorists but I didn't have the time to do the research today. Maybe tomorrow.

What Else Could Fitzgerald Be Investigating

2005-07-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

I posted a version of this in the comment section over at Pen and Sword. This is absolute pure speculation on my part and I'm not saying I believe this. But, is Patrick Fitzgerald, the independent counsel, also investigating the other CIA leak that featured many of the same players as Rovegate? On June 2, 2004, the New York Times printed a story on Ahmad Chalabi, Iraqi sleazeball extraordinaire and associate of the Bush Administration. He allegedly told Iran that U.S. intelligence had cracked the code used by the Iranian spy service on their encrypted communications. Of course, the Iranians immediately changed their codes and the U.S. lost an extremely important source of information. As for Chalabi, he is/was quite chummy with Judith Miller, the neocons and, apparently, President Bush himself. In 1989, Jordan convicted Chalabi in absentia of bank fraud, after he stole $300 million in bank deposits. But surprisingly, on May 11, 2005, King Abdullah of Jordan pardoned Chalabi. According to journalist Seymour Hersh, George Bush himself asked King Abdullah to pardon Chalabi. Like Rovegate, this particular story features CIA leaks, neocons, Judith Miller and George Bush. Of course, there are many sleazy stories floating in the toilet called the White House. Who knows what Fitzgerald is investigating? leak Chalabi CIA

The Karl Rove Controversy Continued

2005-07-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

Point 2 Over on DailyKos.com there is an interesting thread (search for espionage) discussing whether the Espionage Act of 1917 was violated. (If you're a real glutton for eye strain, here is the actual statute .) The MSM is only discussing whether the Intelligence Identities Protection Act was broken. Allegedly, Rove is unlikely to be prosecuted under the Identities Act since that crime is almost impossible to prove in a court of law. As stated today in the New York Times: "The 1982 law that makes it a crime to disclose the identities of covert operatives is not easy to break. It has apparently been the basis of a single prosecution, against Sharon M. Scranage, a C.I.A. clerk in Ghana who pleaded guilty in 1985 to identifying two C.I.A. agents to a boyfriend." If you want to read a discussion on the application of this law, click over here at Tabella . Of course, the controversy is NOT solely a legal question. Even if no one is convicted, the story could catch on with the public and cause real political embarrassment to the Bush Administration. A "successful" scandal is relatively simple, easily explained, and contains a dramatic hook with an emotional appeal. For example, if Valerie Plame's alleged network was exposed and an operative was killed in an excessively gory fashion, that might provide enough drama to hold public interest. Do I sound cold? I go through dozens of news sites each day. THAT would make anyone jaded. karl rove Valerie Plame Treason

A Bit of Trivia on the Karl Rove Controversy

2005-07-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

The Karl Rove/Valerie Plame story has reached critical mass and even the mainstream media is discussing it. I won't bother to reiterate the facts or speculate further since everyone is blogging, chatting and otherwise electronically interacting. If you feel the need, simply go to HuffingtonPost.com or DailyKos.com and you'll find as much speculation and discussion as anyone could desire. There are two interesting points that a casual observer might miss, however. Point #1 This story is somewhat controversial (and murky and complicated so bear with me) but Valerie Plame may not be the first undercover agent to be outed by the Bush Administration for political purposes. On July 2004, Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, a high-level al Qaeda operative, was arrested and "turned" by Pakistani intelligence. Khan had been communicating through encrypted emails with an al Qaeda cell that was planning an attack in Great Britain; his laptop also contained 3-year-old information about a possible attack against financial buildings in the U.S. On July 26-29th, 2004 the Democratics held their 2004 convention and nominated John Kerry with the usual fanfare. Typically, this type of three-day-long political advertisement provides the candidate with a bump in the polls. On Aug. 1, 2004, Tom Ridge issued an alert that al Qaeda was planning an attack on financial buildings in the U.S. and gave some background information to reporters. John Kerry did not get any significant improvement in the polls, possibly due to fear and the public perception that Bush had a "tougher stance" on terrorism. The New York Times printed Khan's name on Aug. 2nd and British intelligence had to prematurely arrest 13 suspects. They had to release 5 of them due to lack of evidence. British officials were really pissed off. The question is, how did the NY Times get the name? The reporters stated in this article that they received the name from a Pakistani source. But how did the reporters know they should be looking in Pakistan? I'm completely sure that Karl Rove had prior knowledge about Ridge's announcement; Rove was running the campaign and this warning had obvious political implications. On the other hand, could Ridge be sure that a U.S. attack was not imminent? If he guessed wrong and an attack occurred, the consequences would be dire. For more info, check here on wikipedia.org, here on cnn.com and here on antiwar.com. It's late so I'll finish this tomorrow. Technorati Tags: Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, Karl Rove

So, tell me again, who are the Bad Guys?

2005-07-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

In the wake of the leaked British memo describing a possible UK/US partial withdrawal from Iraq, I thought I'd give a short recap of the "good guys" that will be taking over security duties. 1) For starters, there is the Kurdish Peshmerga and related militia who have been accused of sectarian-based murder and torture. The Kurds were brutalized by Saddam Hussein in a deliberate campaign to marginalize them in the oil-rich region around Kirkuk. According to a Human Rights Watch report, the initial Kurdish response in post-Saddam Iraq was to abuse Iraqi Arabs in a similar fashion. This outburst of violence was quelled but soon erupted again, this time also involving the other sizable Kirkuk minority group, the Turkomen. As it stands today, the Kurds, Turkomen and Iraqi Arabs have avoided flat-out civil war but as this May 23rd, 2005 article in USA Today states, 'In January, four Kurds were dragged into the street in Hawija, a mostly Arab town 20 miles southwest of Kirkuk, and shot to death. Then in March, an Arab police major and three officers were killed in Kirkuk by a roadside bomb during a funeral procession for a fellow officer who was killed the day before by another roadside bomb. The Iraqi Institute for Human Rights in Kirkuk, an independent group, has documented more than 300 cases of vanished Arabs during the past two months. "Every day, someone is in here complaining about it," says Jalal Ibrahim, deputy director of the institute. Armed Kurdish militia, called peshmerga, or "those who face death," still patrol the streets in pickups. Other members of the militia have joined the local police.' You may notice that USA Today (not my favorite media source btw) tries to put a positive spin on the story but even they can't make death squads sound good. 2) The Mehdi militia. I can't find much current info except for this article from The Guardian stating that some have joined the Basra police force. Moqtada al-Sadr is obviously still an important figure. 3) The Badr Brigade. This Iranian-trained militia has been targeting Sunni religious figures. The above link and this one also contain some information on this group. There has been a good deal of speculation that the Badr Brigade has been killing ordinary Sunnis as a possible prelude to civil war. 4) The Iraqi Ministry of the Interior. Really not good. There are rather graphic descriptions in this link. The human rights abuses may not reach the volume of Saddam Hussein's regime but the techniques appear to be the same. With friends like these . . . Technorati tags: Iraq War, Iraq, militia, abuse

Interesting Times, Indeed

2005-07-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

I've been lurking at HuffingtonPost.com since they have all the latest info on the Karl Rove/Valerie Plame case and tonight, as I obsessively surfed through news sites, this came up. It appears that Rove may really have screwed up, i.e. Bush's brain had a cerebral infarct. Everyone was sure that he was just too damned smart to get caught; personally, I thought he had ordered someone else to do the dirty deed, like Scooter Libby, for example. Recently, however, I noticed a crack in the White House stone wall. If nothing else, most Washington pundits will admit that the Bush Administration has excellent discipline on keeping the party propaganda line consistent. When talking to the media, everyone, up and down the hierarchy, uses the same language to describe the same subjects like good little apparatchiks. This isn't by accident; it's Karl Rove's trademark. (Well, that and incredibly sleazy smear campaigns.) So, a few weeks ago, it was surprising to see Dick Cheney spout off that the Iraqi insurgency was in its last throes while Donald Rumsfeld said it could last for more than a decade. Was Karl Rove sweating over the Plame investigation and blew off the Bush Administration propaganda synchronization?