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Saturday, June 01, 2002
This would be better if...
The guy just died already. A man was convicted of drunk driving for the 17th time in 20 years. He is 46, and has terminal pancreatic cancer. The record in Ohio is 19 convictions. I intend to sound harsh about this.
I'm not claiming sainthood over this, I admit I've driven drunk on more than one occasion, and I figure I used a lot of karma up on living and not killing anyone (nevermind, never being arrested) during my days in Pittsburgh. I'm not a big fan of the drunk driving laws -- I think the BAC is too low, the penalties for first timers overly harsh (I would favor a scale of penalties depending in part, on how far over the limit the person was).
That said, this idiot has actually been caught and convicted 17 times. Imagine how many other times he just didn't get caught. Somehow, it seems he has yet to kill anyone, or be killed himself. Luck will run out.
We Have One Too?
You know those citywide/community bookreading programs. Turns out Northeast Ohio has one. It's called North Coast Neighbors Share a Book. The first book was announced in January ( To Kill A Mockingbird. Now that six months have passed, they've announced the second book: Fahrenheit 451.
In April, the librarians announced that they had selected five books on which readers were to vote, either by filling out paper ballots or by signing on to the Web site of the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System (www.camls.org). Voting closed May 14.
...
Bradbury's book came in ahead of "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck (370 votes), "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison (358 votes), "St. Maybe" by Anne Tyler (327 votes) and "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut (195 votes). An additional 199 votes contained write-in titles as wide-ranging as "The Nanny Diaries," a contemporary novel written by a pair of former child-care workers, and "The Communist Manifesto" by Karl Marx.
Some interesting choices on the ballot. I really don't have an opinion on the matter. I've read both books, and I don't see a need to read them at this particular moment. I've got a stack of books I'm woefully behind on reading, anyway. This damn Internet thing keeps wasting much of my time.
Joe Paterno is an Ass
Joe Paterno and Penn State still refuse to play their traditional rival University of Pittsburgh. The teams first started playing each other in 1893, and have played 96 times. Over the years Joe Pa has cited numerous excuses; but the fact remains he is a bitter prick; still upset that Pitt who was already in the Big East in the early 80s, rejected his idea for a new Eastern Athletic Conference. Now, PSU is planning to play a couple games against Syracuse. It demands any deal with Pitt be a 2 for 1. Two home games for PSU for every one at Pitt. Somehow Florida, FSU and Miami manage to play their rivalry games despite not being in the same conferences. This is a game everyone in Pennsylvania wants. The alumni of both sides want it. It won't happen while St. Joe still coaches. Well, in the mean time PSU has to live with the results of the last game in the series being a SHUTOUT loss. 12 - 0
Wired Politics
Bummer. Declan McCullagh is no longer doing his excellent Politcs Notebook. A wonderful source of updates and information of federal activities/intrusions in the Net-world. Thankfully, he still has his own site
Randy Afghani Mountain Farmers
I wrote a couple days ago about the Scotsman [insert sheep joke here] story about claims by UK Marines of flamboyantly gay farmers in the rural areas of Afghanistan. Prentiss Riddle (the Webmaster of Rice U) has his doubts. He makes a good argument, though as I recall from when the Taliban was driven from power, a lot of reports surfaced of a strong gay history/subculture reasserting itself.
I didn't get into it, because I was more amused by the tale then anything else, but near the end I noted that "what made no sense was a statement that these areas are considered to be among the 'few remaining Taleban bastions'." Rather than question the truth of the story, I chose to poke fun at the ruling Taliban and possible repression of their own lusts. So, it wouldn't surprise me if the story turned out to be a gross exaggeration.
Dates and History
June 5 will mark the 35th anniversary of the Six-Day War. This was yet another devastating humiliation for the Arab World at the hands of Israel. Meryl Yourish is worried that some Islamofascist will decide to mark that day with a terrorist act in the US or Israel. Israel is always worried on alert about the danger, as just about every other day marks an event the Arab World can find humiliation in. Meryl is more worried about within the US. Her fears seem to be based on 1) thefts of explosives keep happening; 2) Terrorist stupidity over US history (but that didn't stop a lot of people from worrying about Memorial Day weekend, and soon July 4); and 3) The Islamic Terrorists need to "avenge" a past humiliation [ I would add a 4) it just seems to feel like something is going to happen again soon -- call it a creeping dread].
I suppose she has a point. We learned from our own homegrown neo-fascists about the stock they put in humiliating dates and avenging them from the Oklahoma City bombing. Still, I don't think anything will happen on that date. If/when something goes down, it will occur when they feel they can pull it off. Trying to schedule a terrorist action on key date should/better be a damn bit more difficult these days. I'm sure there were many key battles throughout the six-day period that could be deserving of their own individual need for being "avenged." I recall some people believing something was going to happen on February 2 (02/02/02); or at the 6 month anniv. of 9/11; or on Israeli Independence Day; etc.
I'm not trying to pile on Meryl or mock her concerns. She makes a rather compelling point, and she is trying to give a possible target date. I just think the big thing is more a creeping dread. Waiting, expecting something else to happen, because it is starting to "feel" like something will. Soon. I know I have it.
Friday, May 31, 2002
Denmark Toughens Immigration
Denmark has tightened it's immigration policies (which apparently, were already among the toughest in Europe). The new rules make it a longer wait to become a citizen (from 3 years to 7 years); no state welfare benefits during that time; more difficult to gain political asylum; and harder to bring family members over.
"For many years (we) have fought for a tighter and more fair immigration law that fits the present situation in the modern world," Conservative lawmaker Else Theill Soerensen said after the vote. "We have managed and we can be proud of it."
The new rules have been strongly criticised by leftist opposition parties in Denmark, the UN refugee agency and fellow EU nations as being too harsh.
One more reason to Ignore the UN
June will be a really, really good month to pretend the UN doesn't exist. This month Syria assumes the UN Security Council Presidency for the month. Gee, I can't even begin to guess what they might bring up.
National Spelling Bee, the Dark Side
There have been some really nice things written about the National Spelling Bee in the blogosphere. No one, however, seems to want to comment on the inherent hilarity of seeing this becoming a "big time sporting" event with live coverage, commentators, and of course a former participant as a commentator. Maybe it's because no one wants to be mean to the kids ( or because some actually were contestants). Frankly, it was starting to bug me. Thankfully, the Sport's Guy at ESPN, Page 2 saves me with another real time diary of the event and his thoughts:
Has the Spelling Bee ever not delivered the goods? For one thing, you can compete along with the contestants. You learn dozens of words that could never be used under any circumstances. The tension during the contest becomes unbearable at times. And if you're watching this with some friends, the "Mystery Science Theater" potential is off the charts. There's something for everyone.
...
1:17 -- Reason No. 32 why I love the Spelling Bee: ESPN uses some sort of modified version of the Fletch soundtrack for the commercial breaks. Is Dr. John Koktostin one of the judges? By the way, I think I've watched too much playoff basketball over the past few weeks -- I keep waiting for one of these kids to spell a word correctly, then pound on his or her chest and point defiantly to the crowd. Way too much Kenyon Martin in my life lately.
...
3:39 -- You know, when it comes right down to it, it doesn't get much creepier than close-ups of nervous parents at a spelling bee. Parents holding lucky stuffed animals and crosses, parents video-taping their kids in intense silence, even parents high-fiving their child's home-schooling tutor. Remember what Joaquin Phoenix told Nic Cage as they delved into the world of hard-core porn in "8 MM: "You're gonna see some things ... things you can't un-see." That's a little how I feel right now.
No, it's not highbrow humor, but it's good for some laughs.
Amnesty Int'l Idiocy
Amnesty International supports full right of return for Palestinians for those who have genuine links. They don't know how it would work, so:
Amnesty International calls on all parties to the negotiations to agree terms for the establishment of an independent, international body which, inter alia, will oversee the implementation of the return process, set criteria for individual claims, examine and determine claims and disputes, and establish a process for awarding compensation.
Actually, AI doesn't have a clue as to how it should be done, they just know it "must be done."
I found this while looking over the "Israel, The Occupied Territories, and The Palestinian Authority" section. Funny, the last report issued on the Palestinian Authority was in October 2000.
On the fair and balanced press release page were subtilely titled, with a short summary.
Hebron Must Not Be Another Jenin -- Tit-for-Tat Killings Must Stop
The tit-for-tat killings of civilians must stop. There is no excuse for targeting civilians whether they are in Haifa, Jenin, Tel Aviv, or Hebron," said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International. [29 April 2002]
Note that this was after AI had investigated and found no civilian targeting in Jenin.
Of course, AI does issue Press Releases condemning the suicide bombings, and encourages people to write to the leaders of Hamas and Fatah to stop this. It does not, however, call on the UN or anyone else to investigate the terrorist groups or the Palestinian Authority.
The AI site is filled with inconsistencies concerning its reports, Israel, and especially Jenin. Despite it's own report it still "has called on the UN Security Council to deploy a team to Jenin to investigate allegations of mass killings."
AI also claims to have sent 10 fact-finding missions to Israel and West Bank since the September 2000. Note that while it has issued numerous press releases calling for UN investigations of Israeli Human rights violations, and several reports making additional allegations, it has not made any calls for such investigations of the Palestinian Authority, it's terrorist support, and only one report of PA abuse (October 2000 - of political repression).
An Intruder?
The Guardian's version of the wire reports from Israel and the West Bank included this sub-heading:
Jewish settlers kill Palestinian intruder
Also this morning, a Palestinian broke through a fence and entered the Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron, near Nablus, settlers said. They said he tried to break into a house, and settlers said they killed in self-defence.
Now compare that with the AP report on the same incident
Nearby, a Palestinian was shot and killed while infiltrating a Jewish settlement carrying an assault rifle. Israel Radio reported he threw grenades at a kindergarten, but the report could not immediately be confirmed.
Even Reuters admitted this point (in it's own inimical fashion):
Jewish settlements, hated symbols of occupation to Palestinians, have also been targeted. On Friday, an armed Palestinian infiltrated Shavei Shomron settlement north of Nablus and was shot dead by a settler, military sources said.
Nice of the Guardian to leave out that little detail on the "intruder" being armed.
Getting back to the Reuter's piece for a moment, I don't look their Israel updates because they are so disgusting in their way of trying to portray Israel as a thuggish Jewish/Zionist agressor who seeks to have the entire West Bank (like the "Jewish settlements, hated symbols of occupation to Palestinians" comment). The AP generally is much better. This issue has been thouroughly dissected and mocked, so I won't vent. The Reuter's piece, though has an interesting statement from Arafat that should not surprise, but at the same time does given the world diplomats paying him a visit:
He [Arafat] told reporters Palestinians would not rest "until a child raises the flag of Palestine over the walls, churches and minarets of Jerusalem."
I'm guessing he does not just mean the Arab portion of Jerusalem.
Thursday, May 30, 2002
Arafat Sympathy Drying Up
The Montreal Gazette delivers a scathing editorial against Arafat. The kind I can only dream of seeing in the NYTimes or Washington Post.
One of the great mysteries of the Middle East is how Yasser Arafat has survived his track record. Palestinians have long known Mr. Arafat is corrupt. In the last two years, they have learned he is incompetent, too.
In 2000, Israel offered the Palestinian dictator his own country. In response, Mr. Arafat launched a terrorist war that led to the destruction of the Palestinian economy, discredited the Palestinian cause and brought about an Israeli invasion.
...
Why isn't Mr. Arafat gone already? One big reason is that international leaders insist on boosting his credibility. Mr. Arafat doesn't have the slightest clue how to run a mini-state: health care and fiscal policy are not his strong suits.
He excels, though, in front of the camera and selected journalists working under tight control. He excels at media "availabilities," exchanging staged hugs with European Union functionaries and Arab despots, denouncing Israeli "aggression" and mumbling bromides about his own commitment to peace (although this professed commitment is a great fiction).
...
Canada is complicit in the Arafat cult. Despite Israel's discovery of documents that demonstrate the Palestinian leader personally authorized payments to members of Al-Aqsa terrorist squads and their families, Canada's foreign affairs minister, Bill Graham, trudged to Ramallah last Sunday to visit Mr. Arafat.
...
Just as he did before the March 29 invasion of the West Bank, Mr. Arafat claims he had nothing to do with the ongoing terror campaign. The Israelis proved he was lying then; he is almost certainly lying now.
I found myself standing up in my chair at this wonderful surprise.
Eastlake, Baseball Stadium, Eminent Domain
I've mentioned before about how the city where I live is building a minor league ballpark for next season, and how the Cleveland Indians play about 20 miles from the location. Well, one of the local alt-weekly's has done a piece about the eminent domain abuse of Eastlake in getting the land. One of the property owner didn't want to sell at Eastlake's price, which led to court battles and eventually being forced to sell. The story got very little ink from the papers (no big shock). Of course not all the land seized is being used for the ballpark. The whole thing is starting to get some attention:
Yet five months later, Eastlake City Council did an about-face, agreeing to sell part of Monreal's [the business owner who didn't want to sell] land and three neighboring sites to a pair of developers. It may eventually be a hotel, restaurant, or office complex, council members say.
Eastlake Mayor Dan DiLiberto says that landowners were long aware that the land was slated for a separate development. Monreal, however, was shocked. In court, the city had "specifically set forth that this was for the stadium," says his attorney, Melvyn Resnick. Now it appeared that Eastlake had used its powers to take land from one business and give it to another.
Moreover, the developers purchasing the land were the same people the city hired to negotiate deals with Monreal and his neighbors. And they would be buying the 1.7-acre site for a fraction of what Eastlake paid just five months before.
...
The Eastlake sale raises even more questions. In October 2000, the city hired CB Richard Ellis to broker deals with landowners. Two agents from the company's Cleveland office, Senior Associate Kevin Malinowski and Vice President Fred Herrera, handled the $162,500 contract.
Then, last month, Malinowski and Herrera signed a contract with Eastlake as a separate company, "Vine Street Partners LLC," announcing their intent to purchase and develop 1.7 acres of the land they had helped Eastlake buy. Although the sale isn't final, Eastlake City Council gave it unanimous approval April 23.
Ohio's real estate ethics code holds that brokers should not provide professional services on property where they have "present or contemplated interest," unless their interest is disclosed to all parties. But the canons are only something agents should aspire to, not rules, says Dennis Ginty of the Ohio Department of Commerce. Besides, notes Peg Ritenour of the Ohio Association of Realtors, "The city didn't have to sell to them if it didn't want to."
...
Yet the purchase price hardly reflects intense competition. The developers agreed to pay $462,500 -- more than land in Eastlake typically sells for, but less than a third of what Eastlake paid for it five months before. Nor does the sale price cover the city's legal fees, the money it paid CB Richard Ellis, or the cost of demolishing the funeral home and a bank on the site, as it has promised to do.
Stan Leff of Stanmor Realty in Willoughby isn't impressed. It's hard to pinpoint the land's value, since the stadium has caused real estate prices to fluctuate wildly. But he notes that it's close to a highway interchange at one of the busiest corners in the city. "If they sold that for $462,000, and it's all frontage, I don't think that's very good," he admits. "I don't think the mayor did his constituency any good by that."
The mayor, of course, defends his deal as being about generating economic development from a ballpark.
The only good news is Ohio is in the process of passing a new eminent domain law (already approved by the State House and Senate).
Traficant Lunacy
Convicted felon and Rep. Jim Traficant was on Crossfire on Memorial Day (as were Jerry Springer and Ted Nugent). He was the second guest, and as usual his proclamations were insane. Just after a video showing Traficant declaring he would defend himself at his trial. It started:
CARLSON: Now Mr. Traficant, you acted as your own lawyer, of course, in that trial. And not to Monday morning quarterback here, but it seems sort of like you had a fool for a client or a lawyer. I mean, you were convicted.
TRAFICANT: Well, I'm the only American in history to ever have defeated the Justice Department in a Rico case pro se. And that was part of the vendetta obsession with the Justice Department. And quite frankly, no attorney would have done any different. I was basically convicted by a judge, prosecuted by a judge, and will be sentenced by a judge. And I think, you know, this doesn't help me. But to tell it like it is, we have a judicial aristocracy in America, that isn't really concerned about Congress. They're concerned about the FBI and IRS. The only way they can be impeached is to be investigated by them.
They had no eye witnesses, they had no fingerprints, they had no physical evidence, no wiretaps, no hidden microphones in six years, and went back 15 years, trying to find one cash expenditure and couldn't find it. And I was convicted on the testimony of felons or would-be felons without the corroboration of one IRS or FBI agent that took the stand because they know I'd impeach them.
So this is a most unusual case. And quite frankly, I'm not all that upset about it. And I think I'll go forward. I'll fight the hell out of them. And I will say this. I believe my outspokenness on China with a general in the Red Chinese Army, gave money to the Democratic National Committee should have been investigated. I think Reno did commit treason. I think that was part of the process that was involved here.
And second of all, I think it doesn't, you know, appeal to many people, but I was the number one target of American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee behind former President Bush and Secretary Baker in the early '90s.
CARLSON: Congressman Traficant.
TRAFICANT: And people are after me.
CARLSON: I believe that -- I think you're absolutely right, people are after you. Some of those people were in the prosecution. And part of the reason they were after you, apart from the fact you committed all these crimes was because you constantly...
TRAFICANT: Well, these alleged crimes.
CARLSON: ...well, actually, you've been convicted. So in fact, they're crimes. But look, you constantly...
TRAFICANT: No, they're not crimes. I have yet to be sentenced.
What the hell? The Jews are after me? It was never mentioned again. I think he was trying to allege a giant conspiracy against him (so naturally there has to be Jews involved), because that is what he usually claims. The rest of the transcript is just a rambling mess from this insane bastard.
Riotous French Doctors
I'm sorry, the title should read Rioting French Doctors. Seems some 200+ doctors in Bayonne (Southwestern France) were protesting potential fines and sanctions against doctors who dare to raise their rates without government approval, when things got a little ugly.
So the doctors have their rates controlled by the same government that takes away well over 50% of their wages in taxes, and they are upset? The US system has a lot of problems, but so far it is beating the alternatives.
Women Prefer...
According to this article:
New research shows women in big cities prefer rich men while women in smaller cities want a mate in touch with his emotions.
Considering I fit into neither category, I think I should go home and worship my lovely wife.
Wonder how the RIAA Will Spin This?
I don't really find Eminem all that talented, interesting, or creative. I am, however, thrilled that his new album is setting sales records. This album was already being traded and copies burned online, i.e., widespread digital piracy. Despite that, the CD is selling. Obviously to the RIAA and the record labels behind it, this just means he would have sold more were it not for the people who downloaded it illegally.
A more sane viewing of the facts might suggest that the fans wanted to get their hands on the album as soon as possible, downloaded, listened, liked, and still bought the CD because they liked what they heard.
This Man Should Blog
The Wall St. Journal (subscription req'd) has a wonderful story about Raymond Cromley. Mr. Cromley is 91 years old, and the sole representative of Cromley News Service who covers the Pentagon. Just one thing, he hasn't published a story since at least 1996. So, rumors as to who he is flow.
Mr. Cromley, 91 years old, has a cubicle in the Pentagon press room outfitted with an old Royal typewriter without a ribbon, a 1971 World Almanac and 17 toothbrushes in a plastic cup. At Pentagon press briefings, he scribbles notes on 3-by-5 index cards that fit neatly into his shirt pocket. His picture hangs on the wall with those of all the other Pentagon correspondents.
...
Stories about Mr. Cromley's past abound at the Pentagon. One employee insists he's a millionaire several times over. Another says he was a member of the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA. Yet another says Mr. Cromley was blacklisted during the Red Scare. He says none of that is true, and that he has always been a Republican.
The story sketches a remarkable life. A man who has been a reporter, a husband and father, and a member of military intelligence in WWII:
In July 1944, he and a small contingent of U.S. Army and intelligence personnel embarked on the top-secret "Dixie Mission" to meet up with Mao Tse-tung, according to several historical accounts and government records.
At the time, Mao was the charismatic young leader of the insurgent Communist Party, which was challenging the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek. ... In an effort to prevent civil war in China, President Roosevelt was desperate to persuade the Nationalists and Communists to form a coalition government.
For more than six months, Mr. Cromley says he lived with about a dozen other U.S. intelligence officers in a cold, drafty cave near Mao's. Their main job was to build an intelligence network that would tell the U.S. more about the Communists' military capabilities and aims, according to several historical accounts.
...
As World War II was coming to an end, Mao asked Mr. Cromley to send a message to President Roosevelt. On Jan. 9, 1945, Maj. Raymond Cromley, acting chief of the Dixie Mission, sent a cable to U.S. military headquarters in Chunking. According to historical accounts, it said Mao "wants to dispatch to America an unofficial group to interpret and explain present situation and problems in China. ... Mao will be immediately available for exploratory conference in Washington should President Roosevelt express desire to receive them at White House as leaders of a primary Chinese party."
The cable was intercepted by Ambassador Patrick J. Hurley, according to historian Barbara Tuchman. Mr. Hurley, who opposed having Mao meet with the president, didn't relay the message.
The lost cable was "one of the great ifs and harsh ironies of history," Ms. Tuchman wrote in her October 1972 essay, published in Foreign Affairs, titled "If Mao Had Come to Washington." Had Mao made the trip, Ms. Tuchman suggested, the U.S. might not have blindly backed the Nationalist government in China and aroused anger and mistrust in Mao. The Chinese might not have made common cause with the Soviets and, Ms. Tuchman wrote, "it is conceivable that there might have been no Korean War and no expansionist Chinese Communism." Even the war in Vietnam might never have happened, she wrote.
For years, Mr. Cromley wondered what had happened to the cable. Today, he says, the decision not to pass it to President Roosevelt was a "terrible error."
The stories this man could tell. And as a Pentagon reporter with military experience, it would be awesome if he blogged his notes or thoughts.
Bryan Whitman, who oversees the Pentagon press operation and assigns cubicles and press passes, says he hears occasional suggestions that Mr. Cromley's cubicle and press pass be revoked because the reporter no longer reports.
"I don't know for a fact that he's not writing and I don't really want to know," Mr. Whitman says. "As far as I am concerned, he is a working journalist employed by Cromley News Service."
What Happens When No Longer Repressed
I don't think the Christian Broadcasting Network will be doing an in depth report on this story. Apparently in the mountain village areas in Afghanistan, there is a rather overt and flamboyant gay culture (not that there's anything wrong with that). Soldiers recount their experiences with sexual harassment:
An Arbroath marine, James Fletcher, said: "They were more terrifying than the al-Qaeda. One bloke who had painted toenails was offering to paint ours. They go about hand in hand, mincing around the village."
...
"We were pretty shocked," Marine Fletcher said. "We discovered from the Afghan soldiers we had with us that a lot of men in this country have the same philosophy as ancient Greeks: ‘a woman for babies, a man for pleasure’."
...
"It was hell," said Corporal Paul Richard, 20. "Every village we went into we got a group of men wearing make-up coming up, stroking our hair and cheeks and making kissing noises."
At one stage, troops were invited into a house and asked to dance. Citing the need to keep momentum in their search and destroy mission, the marines made their excuses and left. "They put some music on and ask us to dance. I told them where to go," said Cpl Richard. "Some of the guys turned tail and fled. It was hideous."
What made no sense was a statement that these areas are considered to be among the "few remaining Taleban bastions". Either the Taliban was not quite so repressive up in the mountains, or they felt safer to indulge their own vices up there.
Advanced Estate Planning
The media coverage of the US Cardinals going to Rome served as a dry run by TV media outlets for their coverage of when the Pope dies. Most networks have made advanced arrangements with hotels for rooms, roof-top access, and extra phone lines around the Vatican.
A Vatican backdrop is essential.
And unlike the death of a former president, a pope's death is not simply a two- or three-day story, but one that stretches out over weeks, as he is buried and cardinals meet to name his successor.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
Well, that about sums it up
This article on new UK rules to expedite the expulsion of those seeking, but denied asylum.
If their country of origin is not safe because of war or their fear of persecution, they will be returned to the last safe country they came through.
"In many cases that country will be France," BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw said.
Go figure.
New Lobbying Hire
The Worldwide PR firm of Hill & Knowlton have been hired by the American-Arab Anti Discrimination Committee to lobby Congress for support from/by the US Govt to prevent discriminations against Arab-Americans (The blurb is the third item under the topic of "Manufacturing", and just before "City/County"). You can click to see the actual filing (filed May 7). According to the filing, no funds come from or will come from foreign nationals.
The ADC site also has this favorite of Palestinian apologists:
Debunking 6 common Israeli myths
A factsheet addressing the 6 most common Israeli myths recycled during Israel's supposed "War on Terror".
Hill & Knowlton also represents Saudi Basic Industries Corporation ( SABIC). SABIC is the Middle East's largest non-oil industrial company. Their businesses are grouped into five core sectors: Basic Chemicals, Intermediates, Polymers, Fertilizers and Metals. SABIC is owned by the Saudi Government (70%) and the private sector (30%). Private sector shareholders are from Saudi Arabia and other countries of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
I'm not objecting to ADC hiring a PR firm and lobbying Congress. They have every right to. Hiring H&K, though, undercuts their complaints of not being able to compete for attention against "The Jewish Lobby".
Spin Suggestions
David Tell of the Weekly Standard received a letter from Paul McCann, chief of the Public Information Office at UNRWA Headquarters in Gaza (link via Little Green Footballs), seeking to set the record straight after the Weekly Standard cited UNRWA incompetence/complicity in terrorist bases in the refugee camps. David Tell, responds to the letter's talking points in kind. Rather than comment on the letter -- since David Tell handles things just fine -- I thought I might offer Mr. McCann some suggestions for the next time.
1. As a UN employee (especially one specifically related to the West Bank), you face the difficult hurdle to overcome of being presumed to be incompetent, an apologist, an idiot and/or a fool. (Your letter did nothing to dispel that notion.) Use big words and hope people reading the letter will glaze over in boredom.
2. Blame Israel.
3. Avoid lying whenever possible, selective omissions, twisted facts and logic are of course acceptable.
4. Blame US Media Coverage.
5. If you are going to lie, avoid statements that can be directly contradicted by what is on your own organization's Web Site.
Quick example of a simple error in this, you wrote: UNRWA does not "wholly fund" or "largely administer" Jenin or any other refugee camp. But on the site it says Originally envisaged as a temporary organization, the Agency has gradually adjusted its programmes to meet the changing needs of the refugees. Today, UNRWA is the main provider of basic services - education, health, relief and social services - to over 3.9 million registered Palestine refugees in the Middle East.
6. Blame the "Jewish Lobby" in America.
7. Avoid discussion of certain aspect of UNWRA involvement: education; finances; the inconvenient explosions within the camp when one of the non-existent, home-made, terrorist bomb factories explodes; and of course the organization itself.
8. Blame Israel.
Michael Kelly mocks the far left in one of the worst ways possible. He points out that they are now the old.
And to some modest degree they did, which led to the usual rounds of "debate" in the pages of the usual organs; and Susan Sontag and Noam Chomsky and Edward Said and Harold Pinter got their names in the papers again, which was the whole point of the exercise.
But did you notice how irrelevant and inconsequential it all felt? One's lasting reaction was not outrage at all but a mild embarrassment mixed with a strong sense of temporal dislocation, of the sort occasioned by catching a glimpse of Jerry Lewis on television. It is a sense of: You're still here? You're still talking? Why? The most obvious fact about the people who bravely -- oh, so bravely, so bravely -- dared to tell truth to power in the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books, and the Cosmic Review of Blah-Blah, was how old they were.
Old, old, old. Also tired, tired, tired. These people -- precisely these people -- have been saying these things -- precisely these things -- since, in many cases, the early Dylan years (Bob, mostly, although in some cases Thomas). Even the young upstarts among them have been blathering on since the '70s. And what is it, exactly, that they have to say that we haven't grasped by now?
Reading, say, The New York Review of Books, you are increasingly struck with the realization that it is simply reactionary; this is our Old Guard now. For an inquisitive and engaged person in his or her twenties, the effect must be akin to what a bright young thing of the World War II generation felt when contemplating the political musings of, say, a Gilded Age bohemian.
From the far right, he could have easily added Robertson, Falwell, and Buchanan as sounding old and tired.
It doesn't even have to be people in their 20s. People in their 30s and up, are taking a harder look at the assumptions underlying the far left (and right) arguments. It was easier to just nod your head, think, yeah that might be nice in an ideal world, then move on to more immediate concerns. Now, we want more substance, not self-righteousness. I think it can be applied to anyone who is classified as existing somewhere in that moderate/centrist area.
Environmental-Steyn
Mark Steyn examines the new UN report on the environment, and notices a small discrepancy:
Ah, yes. The end of the world's nighness is endlessly deferred but the blame rests where it always has. With us -- with what the UN calls "the current 'markets first' approach." Klaus Toepfer, the UN Environment Program executive director, believes that "under the 'markets first' scenario the environment and humans did not fare well."
Really? The "markets first" approach was notable by its absence in, say, Eastern Europe, where government regulation of every single aspect of life resulted in environmental devastation beyond the wildest fantasies of the sinister Bush-Cheney-Enron axis of excess. Fortunately in Communist Romania there was very little clear-cut logging because Ceausescu had the tree. But in Iraq, the report points out, 30% of arable land has had to be abandoned because of bad irrigation practices. Those crazy speculators on the Baghdad Stock Exchange with their Thatcherite economics will kill you every time, eh?
But what's this? "In richer countries water and air pollution is down, species have been restored to the wild, and forests are increasing in size." So the environment's better in rich countries? Rich countries with ... market economies?
Mark really should know better than to think that the UN would let the facts get in the way of a proper viewpoint.
More troubles for Rep S.T. Jones
Stephanie Tubbs Jones, who I noted made a probable political blunder with her constituency, may actually be facing more problematic issues regarding missing money. Rep. Jones is head of Black Elected Democrats of Cleveland Ohio (BEDCO). In the 2000 election, the Ohio Democratic Party wired them $117,000 for a "Get out the vote" (GOTV) drive in support of Gore. Well they can't seem to account for the money, and have yet to file a campaign finance report with Ohio. In fact, "Last week, 18 months late, BEDCO filed two campaign finance reports related to the presidential election, as well as four other past-due reports."
This continuing to miss deadlines has attracted the attention of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, and they want more details
"We will audit them and ask for receipts," said Thomas Jelepis, director of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, where finance reports are filed.
Jelepis also said the board would file a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission because the reports were filed so late.
The late reports also could spur the Ohio secretary of state and other authorities to take action, including fines, against BEDCO and a number of elected officials.
Not that this is Jones' fault, she is only the head of BEDCO. She knows nothing.
Tubbs Jones said she was confident the money can be accounted for. She also said she did not realize that BEDCO had failed to file campaign finance reports over the last two years.
Stifling Conditions
I'm not wild about what the Supreme Court, the "war on drugs", Congress and the Executive Branch have already done to most civil liberties, and the U.S. Patriot Act repulsed me. That said, the US is still miles ahead of Europe when it comes to privacy rights, especially with the Internet.
If approved, the legislation would require the European Union's 15 member countries to draft laws requiring ISPs and telephone companies to keep track of phone calls, Internet surfing, e-mails, faxes and even pager messages, for an unlimited time period in case the data is needed by law enforcement authorities.
Tuesday, May 28, 2002
News sites, pay attention
Dave Copeland posted an excellent list of ways newspapers should take advantage of their Web sites.
Use the whole medium: We use words and pictures well every single day in our printed product, but, with broadband becoming the norm, that's not enough for the Web reader anymore. Take the reporter's tape of the interview or press conference and put it on the Web. If possible, steal video from a partner TV station or think about shooting your own. Not only does this make your site more interesting, it gives reader's enough information to see how your reporters work and what they might be leaving out of their stories.
I would also add that it increases the credibility of the story when an interview or press conference is posted in full. It can eliminate (or prove) the ever annoying, "I was quoted out of context," cop-out.
We can share the triggers, we can share the tanks...
The other day, I noted the Pilger column that spent some time complaining that some UK manufactured components in military equipment was being used in the West Bank. Now, apparently Jack Straw (I'm sorry, I cannot see that name without thinking of the Grateful Dead song of the same name) wants to know more:
Israeli Merkava tanks have been equipped with cooling systems made by the Airtechnology Group, the Surrey-based company confirmed yesterday. It said the equipment had not been supplied to Israel since 1996.
British equipment, including missile trigger systems, are also used in American Apache helicopters supplied to Israel.
...
In April, the government asked Israel to explain how the chassis from British Centurion tanks, exported between 1958 and 1970, came to be used in armoured personnel carriers in the Occupied Territories.
The Foreign Office said the modification contradicted a written pledge from Israel in November 2000 that "no UK-originated equipment ... are used as part of the defence force's activities in the territories".
So let me see if I have this straight, the UK will permit military equipment to be sold to Israel as long as Israel promises no British made product, component, or item will be used in the West Bank -- no matter when they were made or sold; or if they are a single component in equipment manufactured in the US, by an American Firm. I don't think that agreement is enforceable in a practical sense; or even under (British?) contract law. Anyone else know?
Demoralization not Desperation
Another desperate Palestinian, attacked and killed three teenage boys playing basketball, before he was shot dead. Clearly a noble blow for Palestinian independence.
Hezi Katoa, a rescue service worker, told Israel Radio that they found one student hit by a number of bullets in the chest, and then two more "lying behind the building with bullet wounds all over their bodies."
This time, the attack occurred at a West Bank Israeli settlement.
The lie about suicide bombers, and in this case a lone gunman who had to know he would get killed, is that their actions are out of desperation. That they are striking in this fashion as the only possible means of attack against a foe with superior technology/weaponry. Of course this is untrue, unless you agree that their foe is Israel and all of the Jews; in which case peace is not possible since they view all Israelis as enemies to be killed. The true goal, as all but the willfully ignorant know, is to demoralize Israel, and make them so desperate to end the attacks to give into the Palestinians. This, shows some real stupidity, because Israel learned, knows and Oslo's failure has reinforced the fact that you do not reward terror. Israel has attempted to bend over backwards on this, by agreeing to discuss peace in exchange for a period of no terror attacks.
Desperation by Palestinians would be to see this army of suicide bombers just try and run straight at an IDF encampment, battalion or even a Check Point. It would be largely futile, but it would show true desperation against the "foe." Of course even with all the martyr propaganda/imagery being plugged into the Palestinians, this would still dry up the number of idiots who volunteer to die in hopes of taking out children and families at an ice cream store.
The Long Goodbye
Oh, goody. NBC has announced that Tom Brokaw will be succeeded by Brian Williams the Nightly News after the November 2004 elections. That means more than two years of "looking back" on Tom Brokaw's career by the media. I can't wait.
Long Journey, Initial Steps?
Well Iraq hasn't been invaded yet, but apparently there is some bombing taking place as, "U.S.-led warplanes patrolling a no-fly zone over northern Iraq bombed an Iraqi air defense system Tuesday in response to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire."
I doubt this is the opening salvo, and I think this happens more often than we realize but... Anything that gets the ball rolling
Now the EU controls Sentencing?
Someone really needs to explain to me how the various European powers ceded so much to the EU. I'm assuming the European Court on Human Rights is part of this, and now it is against life in prison for murder.
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday overruled the power of his office [UK Home Secretary, David Blunkett]to keep life inmates in jail after they had served their minimum sentence.
...
Under current terms, when a prisoner serving the mandatory life sentence has served their minimum term, or tariff, the Parole Board recommends whether or not they should be released.
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the home secretary has had the power to overrule this recommendation.
The EC on HR, is essentially saying (assuming I read this article correctly) that if a parole board says a person who has served the minimum can go free, then that is the end of it. Screw the sovereign powers of the country, if that decision has to be approved by another official.
Who's on the Line?
Good news. Even before the anti-terrorism/DOJ wishlist bill passed, wiretaps were up in 2001. Legal wiretaps were up 25% over 2000's numbers. No judge rejected a request for a wiretap. Close to 1500 wiretaps, each tracking on average about 1565 conversations over a 2 month period. Most of the wiretaps were drug related. Actually, the numbers are probably higher:
The true number of authorized wiretaps is likely to be far greater. This week's figures do not include all U.S. Customs surveillance -- some of their records were lost in the destruction of the World Trade Center -- or those super-secret investigations done under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
...
Only court-authorized wiretaps appear in the report, not illegal ones performed in violation of state and federal law. In 1999, the Los Angeles County Public Defender's office estimated that the local police illegally under-reported actual wiretaps by a factor of ten.
I have full faith that the numbers this year will be even higher.
Monday, May 27, 2002
Flutie Flakes and Jimmy Johnson
A few years ago, Jimmy "helmet hair" Johnson was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. In a game, the Dolphins defeated the Buffalo Bills, who were being QB'd by Doug Flutie. In the Buffalo area, they sold "Flutie Flakes." Essentially Frosted Flakes, but a portion of the profits went to the Flutie Foundation for Autistic children. After the game, Jimmy stomped on a box of Flutie Flakes in front of his team and cameras in the locker room to symbolize the beating of the Bills. I keep thinking of that after reading of Arafat snack crackers.
Almost like they didn't approve
The Guardian, almost sounded disapproving of suicide bombers after the latest disgusting, cowardly, fist-punching the wall in frustration attack,and that maybe, just maybe, Arafat isn't doing all that much to stop them:
A suicide bomber brought carnage to an ice cream parlour thronged with mothers and children last night, killing an elderly woman and a small girl and injuring 30 others, including two babies who were in critical condition.
...
It also exposes the inability or unwillingness of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, to stop the bombers. Last night's attack was claimed by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military offshoot of his Fatah movement, according to the usually reliable al-Manar television station in Beirut.
Thankfully, they snap back to their senses and worry more that it means the IDF might go deeper into the West Bank and go after the bastards themselves.
No S**t Survey Award
How about this poll results from 9/11:
Drug and alcohol abuse in Manhattan increased during the weeks following the terrorist attacks last year.
A random sample of almost 1,000 of the city's resident's discovered many turned to drink, marijuana and cigarettes soon after September 11.
Can't understand that attitude.
Pilger on Hypocrisy
John Pilger, writes on Tony Blair's support for sales of weaponry to India and Pakistan, and how Blair is also trying to play peacemaker.
The good news, is he does see hypocrisy in supporting Saudi Arabia:
CHERIE Blair, who with Laura Bush, wife of the American President, denounced the "brutal oppression of women" in Afghanistan by the Taliban and demanded their emancipation, has remained silent on the medieval treatment of Saudi women in the spiritual home of al-Qaeda. Saudi Arabia has most of the world's oil.
It's good to know Pilger is on board with the idea of finally taking out the Saudis.
As he "chronicles" the arms sales to dictators and other governments, he brings up Israel
As on the Indian sub-continent, British arms policy has actually fanned the flames in a region in deepest crisis. In the first 14 months of the Palestinian uprising against Israel's illegal military occupation - when the Palestinians' main weapon was the slingshot - the Blair government approved 230 export licences to Israel for arms and military equipment. The licence categories these covered included large-calibre weapons, ammunition, bombs and almost certainly vital parts for American-supplied helicopter gunships. These Apache gunships have been frequently on the news, firing missiles at civilian areas.
Uh, maybe back in 1987, if you meant Intifada One, but not starting in 2000. The main weapon has been those guys (and some gals) who strap explosives on themselves and heroically target children at icecream parlors. When they actually do go against the military, they now do so with weapons purchased illegally from Iran and other countries, or do you believe the Karine A was just a hoax?
While British weapons and parts were being shipped to the Israeli military machine, Amnesty International investigators reported "human rights violations and grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions which, over the past 18 months, have been committed daily, hourly, even every minute by the Israeli authorities against Palestinians".
...
Business is business, and it never stops. On September 11, at an arms fair in London's Docklands, there was not even a respectful silence in honour of the victims of the Twin Towers. The Israelis had a whole pavilion; one Israeli company, Rafael, was here to sell the Ministry of Defence the Gill-Spike Anti-tank missile, a weapon distinguished by its history of use against civilians in Palestine and Lebanon.
I'm torn between laughing and screaming here. The slander involved here is so ridiculous it defies belief. It would do no good to point out the fact that the Palestinian terrorists hide amongst the civilians, use them as decoys and shields, and have even bragged about this -- as the recent experiences in Jenin showed. Oh, wait, I forgot. Pilger was one of the fair unbiased journalists who found that there was a massacre and an unbelievable coverup there.
He ends with this whopper.
All over the world 24,000 people, mostly children, die from poverty every day. This is the true terrorism, and it is aided and abetted by politicians from rich, privileged and powerful countries who, in the cause of profit and feigning respectability, are salesmen of death. Their victims, and the rest of us, deserve better.
Where does he get that number? That's 8,760,000 people a year dying just from poverty? What does "die from poverty" mean? Starvation -- and something else. And most of these are children? This does not include the people who die from other causes. Does he get that from the same source that has figured out how many Iraqis died from UN Sanctions?
Making Sausage
If you've ever wondered, "how did that become a certified program for a college?" (and who hasn't) Well, you're in luck. This is the proposal for Upper-Division Certificate program in LESBIAN GAY BISEXUAL TRANSGENDER STUDIES at the University of Maryland, College Park. Here's some of the proposal:
LGBT Studies draws upon multiple disciplines in the formulation of its scholarly foundation. It challenges traditional disciplinarity and forces scholars to reach across boundaries that frequently serve to divide. LGBT courses necessarily draw upon knowledge from different fields, and utilize various methodologies including close literary, rhetorical, and textual analysis; cultural criticism; historical inquiry, evidence assessment, and recuperative strategies; qualitative and quantitative social science research including ethnographic observation and description and statistical analysis, clinical and laboratory studies, scientific hypothesis formation and testing, as well as a broad variety of communications, critical race, developmental, economic, feminist, literary, political, psychological, rhetorical, sociological and queer theories. Indeed, the formalization of LGBT Studies will bring to our undergraduate students influential contemporary modes of thought in which many of our faculty and graduate students already excel, especially feminist and queer theories.
If you can read that without your eyes glazing over, you are either a college professor, lawyer, or a government employee.
The proposal also contains lists of other colleges that offer certificates, minors/majors and graduate work in this area. Is your school listed?
Tel Aviv Targeting
I'm guessing there are some very well organized cells operating around Tel Aviv for the Palestinians. Another suicide bomber struck at a strip mall. He killed at least 3, and he shot a security guard just before he blew himself up. I find it disquieting that a suicide bomber was also armed with a firearm.
Meanwhile:
In Jerusalem, police defused a bomb discovered by a gardener outside an apartment building. The explosives had been hidden in a plastic bag.
Baby Pool
Our daughter is due in the beginning of July. People have already been telling the wife when they think the baby will pop out. She decided to have a little bit of fun with it by starting a Baby Pool. If it makes her happy...
Sunday, May 26, 2002
Mass. in the Brass
Does Horton hear a Whoo?
Does he belong in a zoo?
Survive would the Lorax;
A Libertarian ax?
The books of Suess helped me learn to read;
But 'twas Chuck Jones who planted the seed.
Starting to Reconsider
Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH,11th Dist.) is in some trouble in her District for her vote in the House on the Resolution for support of Israel. She voted "present" on the Resolution. Jones's district contains the largest Jewish population in Cuyahoga County and all of Ohio (70,000). She then met with members of the community to explain her vote, but would not speak with the Cleveland Jewish News, instead issued a press release to them:
Tubbs Jones did not return CJN phone calls asking for comment. In a written statement, she said that congressional intervention would undermine the U.S. effort to broker a peace agreement and could exacerbate hostilities.
"I strongly believe that every state is entitled to self-determination...I strongly support Israel's right to exist in peace," she said. "But by rejecting peace agreements that include Israeli withdrawal from West Bank cities, (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon has denied Palestinians the same right to self-determination that Israel has claimed for itself. On the other hand, Mr. Arafat's failure to prevent and denounce the escalating violence against innocent Israelis has led to an increase in extremism and terror in the region."
Her district is heavily Democrat, and she likely won't be defeated in November, but a press release basically blaming the violence on Sharon's refusal to pull out of the West Bank, relying on "cycle of violence" language, and clear ignorance as to who is denying the Palestinians "self-determination" will make it more likely that someone will be challenging her soon. Overall, the Cleveland area Congressmen wussed out, Republican Steven LaTourette (19th Dist., my Representative) voted "yes", but all three Dems, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Sherrod Brown (redistricting gives him a sizeable Jewish Constituency), and Dennis Kucinich (actually has a rather large Arab constituency), present, akin to abstaining.
Naked Came I
Well actually not really (bonus points for those who can connect the pop culture reference I am making. Additional clue at the end of the post.
Apparently nudists in Rome are upset at NATO, for the summit that will be taking place in Italy this Tuesday. It seems for security purposes, a 37 mile stretch of beach will be closed off that day. This exposed beach area includes a 200 yard section that is specially designated for nudists. Needless to say, they feel they are being stripped of their rights.
"We have sent an official appeal to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi not to close down our beach during the summit for security measures, because a naked man or woman has nowhere to hide any arms," Paolo Guerra, the spokesman for the local nudist association...
The clue (well it really gives the whole game away) is "Naked Came I, A Penguin's Story"
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