Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Times (May Be) a Changin' CNN TV just showed a short segment about "world coverage" of the war - complete with some video from the chosen TV stations - which included Isreal (is that a surprise?), France (that was a surprise), Abu Dabai, and even the infamous folks at AL-Jazeera. They even said that most places focused on civilian casualties.... and went so far as to say the both Abu Dabai and Al-Jazeera "attempted" to be unbiased - since they had bothe Powell and Bush on air (live) today. Maybe there is hope... Maybe the world, if it communicates together, can help our global bone-headed leaders figure out how to progress diplomatically and civily. Did this have anything to do with a posted report at SFGate about 45 minutes ago? Unlikley, given the video footage that was played. comment []  permalink  9:04:56 PM

Free Press Al-Jazeera has recently been banned on Wall Street but NOT wiped off the Internet; while defending its coverage of the Iraq war it demanded the United States come to its aid in the name of a free press. I thought we were the bad guys here... Excuse the cynicism, but: Meanwhile, two Newsday correspondents have gone missing, too. Gen. Franks has been asked to look into the death of a British journalist. A senior Czech intelligence official has said that Iraqi agents planned to carry out an attack against the Prague-based headquarters of U.S. government funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. And remember, lots of people, including us, have condemed the recent arrests of journalists in Cuba. I think press everywhere is having a tough time. Life ain't easy. Take a look at Sean Paul Kelley, who's making a difference though, by committing to free press and free speech. comment []  permalink  7:25:17 PM

Listen Up Fellow Protestors If we are protesting the war because of violence and innocence and human rights, we have no right to turn violent ourselves. Civil disobedience is fine; killing two in Sudan is not; leaving 10 injured in Lebanon is not; hurting police officers is not. Nor is smashing windows for peace. Reread I Have a Dream or listen to Navajo Vice president Frank Dayish, Jr., who will not allow violent anti-war protests. Where are the principles of peace, of commitment to non-violence? As war is not a video game, neither are demonstrations. Real people with real lives are involved here. Respect. comment []  permalink  6:29:53 PM

Parachuting In "Coalition forces pound" iraqi army near Basra says a headline on CNN TV. And, U.S. Army troops parachuted into and took control of a key airfield in northern Iraq on Wednesday, becoming the first sizable American military presence in that part of the country, defense officials said." Apparently 1000 troops. But earlier, it was reported that the column of Iraqis was also 1000... Apparently this is now reported as "mis-information [CNN TV]. The U.S. government has suggested all Iraqi citizens stay in their home until the change over of power... Ummm. Yes, I will stay inside becuase I don't want to be shot. But what about food? Shall I starve? What a morass. Imagine the adrenalin, fear, complete discomfort of sand in every pore of your body... comment []  permalink  6:12:45 PM

Consequences When I was young my parents instilled in me that I was responsible for my actions. I learned that, often the hard way. Now, it appears that not all agree with this philosophy. "Any casualty that occurs is the direct result of Saddam Hussein's policies," says Clarke at the Pentagon briefing. I don't believe Saddam is a good man; he is evil and murderous. However, by choosing - for whatever valid and invalid reason - to conduct a preemtpive strike, we - and that means all of us (even those who disagree with policy - are responsible for what we do and how we do it. It is currently our actions - as well as Iraqi actions - that are causing deaths. That this stemmed from Saddam's policy has been explained again and again. But "direct" response is the bombing... we need to understand that the bombing, which we do, also creates its own direct effect. comment []  permalink  2:31:02 PM

About the Market Strike "We know something landed in the district but don't know whether it was US or Iraqi," said the Maj. Gen. McChrystal. He also said, "where they want to come and fight, that's what we will do." Clarke said, "it is a sign of the brutallity of this regime... in that they put military assets in and around civilians." comment []  permalink  2:11:22 PM

The 1,000 Headed South " A column of Iraqi tanks and armored personnel carriers poured south out of the Iraqi city of Basra on Wednesday and came under attack from U.S.-led forces, a British military spokesman said." comment []  permalink  2:07:57 PM

Pentagon Briefing Victoria Clarke, Pentagon spokeswomen, at press briefing, "military is now closing in on Baghdad... one of military objectives is to secure oil fileds for Iraqi people... " She spoke a great deal about the Iraqi soldiers using the hospital in southern Iraq yesterday and made it clear that the hospital was clearly marked and as such is considered safe during war. Went on to talk about chemical weapons... She spent an awfully long time talking about the hospital. "Six days into war we've made remarkable progress in land, sea, and air." comment []  permalink  2:04:40 PM

21 Arrested in Washington DC Anti-War Protest Among them, Daniel Ellsberg, and a number of prominent ministers and rabbis, according to CNN TV. comment []  permalink  1:54:25 PM

A Few Days Makes a Difference The Pew Research Center reports that in two days the percentage of Americans who think the war is going well has declined from 71 percent to 38 percent. Bill Schneider on CNN said this was the "beginning of the credibility gap - a Vietnam we don't want to see again." comment []  permalink  11:48:51 AM

Conflict of Interest Halliburton gets approval to fight oil well fires in Iraq. Of course, Vice President Cheney is the former CEO and President of Halliburton. When Ari Fleischer was questioned about the possibility of a perceived conflict of interest, he suggested the question be directed to "agencies that award the contracts and bids." Apparently the U.S. Agency for International Development is the agency involved. (Check here for more about the RFPs.) By the way, foreign companies were excluded from winning contracts. Hmmm... Richard Perle, chairman of the Defense Policy Board, is under scrutiny also. But, it's not just individual interests that can influence us. Look at Iran's view of the war, as explained by Middle Eastern Media Research Institute in Washington, DC, or how Jordan's King Abdullah allows U.S. troops to operate out of his country, while publicly opposing the war. Even the strained relationship between Russia and the US seem s in part based on the future of Russia's oil interests in Iraq. Our individual, community, national, and global interests - and our pereptions of them - make things murky. comment []  permalink  9:52:56 AM

Cent Com's Take CentCom says "mistakes can occur", but "we do not know" what occured in the Baghdad market. And Saddam's forces are "shooting civilians." comment []  permalink  8:25:47 AM

About 'Residual Damage' CNN TV just showed a short video clip of a 'civilian area' in Baghdad and said Reuters (which reports "scorched bodies litter streets") claims it say "at least 15 bodies of civilians." CNN says it's hard to tell whether they were the result of bombing because "Saddam Hussein has been known to tell his soldiers to kill civilians." comment []  permalink  7:35:57 AM

'Residual Damage' The injuries of 30 people and the death of 14 in a Baghdad market caused an angry crowd to gather, shouting anti-American slogans. The difficult part is that during these six days, we don't know how many have died. But even a French press report admits that some targets have been avoided to minimize such catastrophes. South Korea is sending troops to join the 'coalition.' comment []  permalink  7:14:55 AM

More Than Bombs Kill Constant media coverage of the war in Iraq has obscured another killer. China says 31 have died and nearly 800 are infected with SARS. In response, Singapore will shut all schools to stay on the safe side. Toronto, Canada has closed a school and quarantined expected cases. The CDC maintains a case count database of cases in the US and the world Medscape has created a global alert and informational area about the crisis. comment []  permalink  7:04:43 AM

I Think We Need to Talk In a game of "if-you-can-do-it-I-can-do-it-too" India and Pakistan each test fired nuclear-capable missiles yesterday - apparently around the same time that North Korea pulled out of military liaison talks with the US about its nuclear program. A separatist group in Alberta, Canada, suggests that Alberta should split from Canada and buy nuclear subs. A mock nuclear attack will be staged in Wales to test emergency response abilities. Given the absurdity of the world, it makes sense. Might help if all the people with the bombs read Ray Bradbury's There Will Come Soft Rains. comment []  permalink  6:39:25 AM

"Let Me Help You Understand" CNN TV has taken to "capsulizing" the news every so often in an effort "to make it easier" for us "to understand." I appreciate its succinctness; but I don't really see how a brief timeline aids in understanding anything - other than when things were reported. comment []  permalink  6:26:21 AM

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