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 Thursday, May 13, 2004
Bush's libertarian challenge. The NRA has passed on endorsing Bush, which is tying... [Daily Kos]
I have a hard time seeing the NRA NOT endorse Bush. That seems like some liberals wet dream but stranger things have happened. 11:39:00 PM 
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Sovereignty. SOVEREIGNTY....The UK foreign ministry says Britain will pack up and leave if the Iraqis ask them to after June 30. Now the State Department says that's our position too. Both say they don't expect this to happen, of course. However,... [Political Animal]
So farfetched but what if...? 11:23:59 PM
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I never thought that I'd agree with Karl Rove about anything, but I do today. Before Bush launched his war on Iraq, I argued about the folly of a predominantly Christian nation trying to impose a Richard "Prince of Darkness" Perle-Ahmed Chalabi type of democracy on Iraq with bayonets and bombs. I also argued that the logic of American troops in Iraq, at best estranged fron Iraqis by barriers of religion, culture and language, would soon cause American troops to be seen as occupiers, and would cause American troops to act as occupying armies always act in a strange land. My experience of living in an Arab country for two years convinced me that the United States was headed for disaster. But I confess, I never imagined this: Some outraged member of the military has leaked some more photos of Iraqis being abused and tortured by American soldiers to the Washington Post, and the Washington Post is leading, on their website at least, with this (cropped) photo of a naked Iraqi man on a dog leash being held by a female American soldier. These pictures show at least a minimal amount of knowledge of Arab culture, because if one was seeking to humiliate an Arab man, presumably a citizen of the country we claim we are liberating, it would be hard to do more. Each and every item visible in this picture would contribute to that humiliation. Buried in a stupid NYT story about a stupid inside-the-Beltway-only Washington game about Bush pretending to spank Rumsfeld for having been caught abusing Arabs was a second-hand quote by Bush's brain, Karl Rove, who: told one Bush adviser that he believes that it will take a generation for the United States to live this scandal down in the Arab world Well, I finally agree with Karl Rove about something. It will take decades, if not a century, to undo the damage in the Arab world that Bush has done in 3 years. And Americans will pay a heavy price in the meantime. Tell me again how Bush's war on Iraq has helped the so-called "War on Terrorism?" At this point, we will be lucky if the leaders of all the Arab countries, including all our former allies, don't publically encourage their young men to take revenge on America for these abominations. Bush's war on Iraq has been a disaster, on a practical as well as moral front. As I said earlier this week, we are continuing to aid... [Geodog's MT Weblog]
hard to believe that Rove would say something so honest. 11:22:32 PM
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Chinese hero Dr. Jiang Yanyong speaks out again, this time on Tiananmen Square. Last year, when I was reporting on the SARS outbreak in China on SARS Watch, I was very impressed by the Chinese Army doctor, Dr. Jiang Yanyong, who broke official China's silence on SARS by sending a letter to Time magazine detailing the real situation. He was one of the many heros of the first SARS epidemic. Today, I was attending a conference in Berkeley on China's Digital Future, I found that Dr. Jiang had recently done it again. According to this article in the International Herald Tribune, he wrote a letter to the prime minister, several deputy premiers, the Politburo and the chairman and deputy chairman of the National People's Congress, in which he recounted a visit he had with former Chinese President Yang: Jiang told Yang, who died later that year, of the bloody scenes in Army Hospital 301, where he was a director of surgery, when scores of dead and dying students were carried in: "Lying before me this time were our own people, killed by children of the Chinese people, with weapons given to them by the people, in Beijing, the magnificent capital of China." "Yang indicated that the June 4 incident was one in which the Communist Party committed the most serious mistakes in its history," writes Jiang. "He said he could not do anything to correct the mistake, but that the mistakes would be corrected in the future." .... for Jiang, Tiananmen is the worst of the Communist Party's crimes since the Cultural Revolution, and he has sided with Professor Ding in her search for justice. "Who among us does not have parents, children, and brothers and sisters?" he writes in his open letter to Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and other top officials. "... Anyone whose family members were unjustly killed should voice the same request [an accounting of those killed]. Each Chinese Communist Party member, Chinese citizen and human being must courageously support this just demand." It is encouraging to see an example of such bravery in action, especially when our own political landscape is full of examples of craven cowardice and avoidance of personal responsibility.... [Geodog's MT Weblog]
When will we get the leaders we really need? 11:21:37 PM
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The military gets it. For a look at how the professional military views the Abu Ghraib outrages, see the The Army Times, the unofficial voice of the Army, which today called for the relief of Defense Secretary Rumsfeld and chairman of the Joint Chiefs Meyers: There is no excuse for the behavior displayed by soldiers in the now-infamous pictures and an even more damning report by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. Every soldier involved should be ashamed. But while responsibility begins with the six soldiers facing criminal charges, it extends all the way up the chain of command to the highest reaches of the military hierarchy and its civilian leadership. The entire affair is a failure of leadership from start to finish. From the moment they are captured, prisoners are hooded, shackled and isolated. The message to the troops: Anything goes... Army commanders in Iraq bear responsibility for running a prison where there was no legal adviser to the commander, and no ultimate responsibility taken for the care and treatment of the prisoners. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, also shares in the shame. Myers asked [base "]60 Minutes II[per thou] to hold off reporting news of the scandal because it could put U.S. troops at risk. But when the report was aired, a week later, Myers still hadn[base ']t read Taguba[base ']s report, which had been completed in March. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld also failed to read the report until after the scandal broke in the media. ... This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level. This was a failure that ran straight to the top. Accountability here is essential [~] even if that means relieving top leaders from duty in a time of war. The Army gets it, even if Bush doesn't. The fish rots from the head.... [Geodog's MT Weblog]
many in the military are not happy that only enlisted personnel are being charged without any officers. And civilian overseers take responsibility but do nothing. Some heads need to roll.Seems like the military is always the first one scapegoated. 11:19:16 PM
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Smallpox Vaccination in the Early 19th Century Using Live Carriers: The Travels of Francisco Xavier de Balmis. Smallpox devastated the Spanish colonies periodically; the most remembered event took place in 1797 when, in the vice kingdom of New Spain, 44,286 persons fell ill, of which 8,220 died in a period of 3 months.
Southern Medical Journal [Medscape Infectious Diseases Headlines]
Before refrigeration, how did anyone transport smallpox vaccines from Europe to the New World? They used humans to carry the vaccine innoculations. In this case, serially infecting orphans. No way this would be approved today but over a 2 year period, almost 100,000 people from the New World , the Phillipines and other Spanish (and even English) colonies. Some in the midst of a smallpox outbreak. this was the first worldwide attempt at defeating smallpox, using humans in ways that we would not accept, but, given the technology at the time, and the dire threat of smallpox, certainly understandable. 10:55:43 PM
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James K. Polk. John Derbyshire is surprised:Paul Johnson has a piece rating the Presidents. His top ten: Washington, Lincoln, TR, Reagan, Jackson, Polk (!), Coolidge, Eisenhower, Truman, Wilson (!!).Obviously, the influence of They Might Be Giants is spreading among the ranks of conservative... [Matthew Yglesias]
Everything I know about James K. Polk comes from They Might Be Giants. Listening to it right now. Has a great 'musical saw' bridge! 10:24:53 PM
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Torture. TORTURE....April 28, in front of the Supreme Court:JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG: Suppose the executive says, "Mild torture, we think, will help get this information?" It's not a soldier who does something against the code of military justice, but it's an... [Political Animal]
Great. Did this guys lie in front of the Supreme Court? Not something that will help their cause. In fact, by getting Myers to convince CBS to delay the broadcast of 60 Minutes II for several weeks, they were able to make sure that the photos did not come out at a time the Supreme Court was asking the government about its use of torture. Now that is a coincidence! 9:53:17 PM
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Little Spooky. Mexican Air Force pilots filmed 11 unidentified flying objects in the skies over southern Campeche state, a Defense Department spokesman confirmed Tuesday. Not only that, there is video: The lights were filmed on March 5 by pilots using infrared equipment.... [Rooftop Report]
Actually, no one uses tin foil anymore. I find that aluminum foil, while not as effective is much less costly. I heard that wearing nylon underwear at the same time more than compensates for the loss in effectiveness. 9:48:39 PM
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US violated Geneva Conventions. The US is a signatory to the UN Geneva Conventions.... [Daily Kos]
Great. If someone did it to one of our soldiers it would be a violation of the Geneva Convention. But not when we do it? I can see why this administraion never wanted to be part of a world court that could judge war criminals. because violating the Geneva Conventions is what war criminals do. And this is something that the executive branch is not supposed to have an option on. Congress passed these treaties. They are as much American law an those dealing murder or drugs. Only an administration that could come up with Iran-Contra would think that they could simply ignore the Geneva Conventions while fighting a war. thankfully the terrorists do not take prisoners, since they really have no place to house them and simply removing enemy soldiers from the battlefield is not one of their tactics. 9:37:02 PM
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Okay This is like some episode of the X-Files. Berg does not seem to have been just some random person. he happens to be one of the few people who the FBI investigated several years ago for possible contact with Zaccarias Moussaoui, the possible 9/11 hijacker that we had in custody in August, several weeks before 9/11. It turns out that Moussaoui stole Berg's password and sent several e-mails using Berg's account. The FBI did not find anything wrong.
But, of all the possible people to kidnap and kill, the terrorists kill someone who was possibly used by one of their own. What are the chances? Talk about conspiracy theories.
What I think happened was this. Someone saw Berg moving around Iraq without any connection to anybody, getting up on all sorts of towers, such as the one outside the prison. They ran his ID through the government databases and saw that the FBI had investigated him for the 9/11 attack. It seems logical that someone decided to pick up this unattached American who seemed to be linked to the 9/11 terrorists, if for no other reason than to check out his story. It took them several weeks to do so, they found nothing and let him go. The unfortunate thing was that in those 2 weeks, Iraq had gotten very much more dangerous and he was not able to get out.
From what we know now, there would not be anything malicious here. Could be good police-work. But, and here is where the tin foil hats can come in, what if some Iraqis leaked to someone that the US had a prisoner who was linked to Moussaoui, perhaps had even betrayed him? What if those 'men' grabbed him specifically because of his supposed link and wanted to extract revenge?
Well, that is how the movie would go because odd coincidences happen all the time in a movie in order to drive the plot forward. In real life, some times things are just coincidental. But what a coincidence!! 9:27:34 PM
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Nice discussion of a debate with a creationist. The complete inability of people to understand anything but their faith is constantly amazing to me. The fear they show that causes them to reject anything not provided directly by the Bible is striking. The insecurity demonstrated by their complete security in the Bible is startling. And this is on something as cut and dried as evolution. It makes it even more clear when discussiing things like abortion, etc. If they are so unable to see things that are true, that can be measured, how much more likely is it that they will not see things that are fuzzier, like Iraq. In today's world, those who are unthinking will fail. Those who follow non-thinkers will be lead into the pit. They have cut off, of their own volition, that which separates us from other animals. Our ability to use our brains to think, to observe, to change our environment for the better by using the natural world around us. The non-thinkers are more and more scared of the surrounding world. If we allow them more control, they will drag us all down. 9:30:28 AM
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Jesus had some very important things to say, whether you believe in his divinity or not. The Beatitudes are some of them.Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 3)
Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land. (Verse 4)
Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted. (Verse 5)
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill. (Verse 6)
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. (Verse 7)
Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God. (Verse 8)
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. (Verse 9)
Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Verse 10)
From Matthew
I thought about his when I read through Little Green Footballs tonight. So few of the people there seem to be mindful of any of these. They do mourn, before they state that we need to kill more people. They believe in making peace by making war. Mercy is hard to find on that site. Killing any number of innocent people in order to get a few is about as unChristian as anything you can imagine, yet this is common currency n the minds of many people. Where is the sense of fallibility that Christ knew was the act of being a human? The meekness to know that we are all sinners, that we are all redeemable?
My relationship with God is a private matter and one that I do not discuss very often. But I am going to write about some of it tonight because I am afraid that we might coming to a Tipping Point, where the world can walk down a path that will be incredibly harmful. So, I will discuss some of my thoughts about Jesus and what he means. And I am sure people will find things to argue with me about. But, like everyone else, I pick and chose from the Bible the things that support me and my view of life. This is what is fundamental, to me, about Jesus and the Gospels. My own personal Jesus.
Jesus tried to show us a new way to live, one based on a recognition that the Samaritan is a human also, needing the comforts that all humans need. That the whore was no more a sinner than any man. That mercy towards others was the first step to peace. That the road to end war and injustice is not an easy one but one that can not ever be trod by simply making war. That one converts one's enemies by seeing them as human and not as animals.
For me, the Passion of Christ demonstrates that a man who may have been able to call down a army to save himself and free his people, chose instead to allow his enemies to kill him. He embodied every one of the Beatitudes during his Passion. That is why his words and thoughts are still heard today, long after Rome fell away. He not only lived what he said, he died what he said. One of the most courageous things ever done.
We must fight our older selves, 'The Old Testament' selves, the eye for an eye selves. These lead to a vicious cycle of violence that can not easily be broken by more violence. The importance of the New Testament is that it embodies a way to stop the extra-generational warfare found in most of the world and history. We still have blood fights for things that are hundreds of years old. Jesus demonstrated, to my mind, the only working approach to stopping this sort of bloodshed. You must respond to your enemies blows by turning the other cheek. You, and all your followers, must be willing to sacrifice themselves, to die, in front of your enemies, without retaliating. This is the level of commitment he requires for real change. He showed by his own death how to do it. It is a horrible level of commitment and one that so few people have ever been able to emulate.
This is not appeasement. You do not give up ANYTHING to your enemy. You stay committed to what you have. You just do not allow your enemy's violence to provoke a reciprocating violence from yourself. By doing this, you will eventually short circuit the cycle of violence. Christianity eventually became the official religion of Rome, one of its original enemies. But thousands of people died to accomplish this.
It is a terrible thing to contemplate and one that I truly fear I would not be able to do. But, thousands of people throughout history have done exactly that. The thought that we would simply allow our enemies to kill us, without retaliation, is hard to contemplate, yet it is exactly how many great movements in the last hundred years have worked. Ghandi, King, perhaps even Mandela, all used aspects of this, placing themselves and their followers directly in harm's way.
My fear is that, in order to really fix things, to make this world right again, to move the world off of its apparent collision course between the followers of the 2 sons of Abraham, the same sort of sacrifice will be required. Those of us who believe that we are on the wrong path, that we are lowering ourselves into an 'Old Testament' way of life, forsaking the new way that Christ discussed, may be called to sacrifice our selves.
That to change things will require a blood sacrifice but not of the enemy. Of the innocent. The poor, the meek, the mourners, those who thirst after justice, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers may all have to suffer persecution for justice' sake.
That scares the shit out of me. But it may be the only way to stop the rapid warmongers that are becoming more and more emboldened today. God, I hope not. 12:20:58 AM
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