Cats
What the War In Iraq is really about.
Kent State Massacre
This was the first year in a long time that I didn’t make it over to Kent to see the memorial and pay my respects. Growing up a few miles from where all this went down is still one of the most sobering experiences of my life.
War is over if you want it
Sorry people, I'm completely sucked into this Ron Paul thing. Merry Christmas!
CNN has postponed speculative documentary "We Were Warned -- Iran Goes Nuclear."
That special was “based on a different set of rules and a different set of conditions,” said CNN veep-senior exec producer Mark Nelson …
2,369,239 US Soldiers vs 11,770,000 Iranian Soldiers = DRAFT
“At the risk of loosing all my credibility, allow my concern to manifest itself in a less than mature way: Our economy is &%$#ed. We have a -862,300,000,000 dollar cash balance. That puts us LAST in the world for cash balance of our own currency.”
Iraq, Afghan Vets at Risk for Suicides
“The ongoing research reveals that at least 283 combat veterans who left the military between the start of the war in Afghanistan on Oct. 7, 2001, and the end of 2005 took their own lives.”
Rudy's Four Horsemen
Giuliani to bomb everybody if elected. Iran, Palestine, Syria, Massachusetts, etc.
Iran Labels CIA 'Terrorist Organization'
Iran’s parliament on Saturday approved a nonbinding resolution labeling the CIA and the U.S. Army “terrorist organizations,” in apparent response to a Senate resolution seeking to give a similar designation to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
A Bunch of Phony US Soldiers
“Brian Chevalier was going to reenlist but decided against it before he was killed on March 14 during our first mission in Baqubah. His phony life was celebrated in a phony memorial where everyone who knew him cried phony tears.”
Congressional Representation Or "Ass-Kissing Little Chickenshits"?
MoveOn’s response to a congressional vote condemning their recent NYT / Patraeus ad. This is apparently going into the Times sometime over the weekend…
My baby's so sweet :-)
My sister and her daughter—whom I've seen very little of in the past three years due to her husband’s multiple Iraq deployments—singing a beautiful song. An interesting contrast to the deeply upsetting Patraeus report videos I've been watching all day.
FOX Attacks Iran [foxattacks.com]
Wow. I've tried to stay away from politics here lately but this is pretty crazy.
Philosophy of numbers
“So there you have it — lack of units in programming languages and the war in Iraq have a common cause: the lack of correct philosophy on numbers taught in schools.”
Iraq War Hampers Kansas Cleanup [kcbs.com]
“The Kansas National Guard has about 40 percent of the equipment it is allotted because much of it has been sent to Iraq.”
Memorial honoring fallen soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan runs out of room [fortwayne.com]
“In a grim sign of the times, the ‘Wall of the Fallen,’ set up by House Republican leaders in June, is almost full. The mounting death toll has forced U.S. House staffers to study how to reconfigure the display to squeeze in more names.”
Pop Quiz on the situation in Iraq [truthdig.com]
I've been looking for a essay-sized historical account of the Shiite/Sunni conflict for a long time now. A former Marine intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector lays out what appears to be a fairly comprehensive story over three pages.
Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Rails Developer David Heinemeier Hansson’s Response to Alex Payne’s Interview [dive into mark]
Pppkkkeeeewwwww.. The happy universe explodes. This is turning into one hell of a discussion.
I don't know how I will tell my wife
“I know that there are those out there who would have me go AWOL or refuse to deploy. I cannot do that. I have a family to feed, and soldiers to take care of. I can do neither from prison.”
Lose, Lose, Lose
“You and I — private citizens not in uniform — are asked to do nothing but fret. The sacrifice expected of us is, once again, minimal. Enjoy your iPhones.”
The Myth That “Eight Battleships Were Sunk” At Pearl Harbor
It turns out Pearl Harbor was a pretty massive blunder for the Japanese. Fascinating.
War Signals?
This is the most thorough of five reports I've just read, each speculating that a US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities before the Nov. elections may be likely: “I think the plan’s been picked: bomb the nuclear sites in Iran,” says Gardiner. “It’s a terr
After Pat's Birthday
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.
Keith Olberman 2006-09-11 - Special Comment
We should all be as pissed off right now. 9/11 is a disease.
The Overton window.
Visible in accelerated form on Fox News' recent “coverage” of whether bombing the piss out of Iran would be a good idea right now. Go Think Tanks!
On the implausibility of the explosives plot.
I'll have to come out of hiding to bookmark this one. Too good to not make my wow list.
Why Indeed Did the WTC Buildings Collapse?
It’s impossible for diffuse flames (jet fuel, paper, office stuff) to reach temperatures needed to melt steel. This guy thinks there were thermite charges in the buildings.
Agreed Framework
Wikipedia entry on the “Agreed Framework” for nuclear non-proliferation reached between the US and North Korea in 1994. Understanding how we backed out of this agreement is key to understanding the current issues w/ N. Korea.
The Impeachment of George W. Bush
When you see everything stacked up like this, it’s a bit harder to call the impeachment crowd “crazy”.
Former Head of U.S. Central Command Blasts Administration Over Iraq
Insane: “And so it seems to me that the Defense Department not only needs to think about disengaging in Iraq, but to develop the contingency plans if you wind up with a full-scale insurgency in, say, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or if these people redoub
Schneier on Security: Disarming Soldiers
“FAA regulation that requires soldiers — all of whom were armed with an arsenal of assault rifles, shotguns and pistols — to surrender pocket knives, nose hair scissors and cigarette lighters.”
Apocalypse Soon
Robert McNamara warns that nuclear war is coming if the US doesn’t remove its reliance on nukes as a “immoral, illegal, militarily unnecessary, and dreadfully dangerous” tool of foreign policy.
North Korea admits having nuclear weapons
Say they need the weapons “as protection against an increasingly hostile United States.” — IMO, this is the first of many such announcements. I imagine the so-called “terrorist states” are especially wanting to start nuke programs.
Rumsfeld cancels trip after accusations (of war crimes)
Rumy won’t be visiting germany any time soon..
NY Times: Few but Organized, Iraq Veterans Turn War Critics
People would just come up to me and say, ‘How'd you lose your arm?’ “ Mr. Acosta said. "And I'd say, ‘In the war.’ And they would be like, ‘What war?’ ”
Iraq war bites into US business
US product boycots in EU and CA due to Iraq war. Maybe people will start paying attention now that we're losing money instead of just lives.
Thomas P.M. Barnett: The Worldchanging Interview
take 15 minutes to dramatically increase your understanding of the world we live in…
Knuth: Open Letter to Condolezza Rice
Knuth and Rice were at Stanford together (as faculty). Interesting note: this is only the second letter Knuth has written to a gov. official. The other time was Vietnam.
A Tale of Two Osamas
A comparison of translations of the Oct. 30, 2004 Bin Laden tape. CNN on one side and Aljazeera on the other. Who’s spinning?
Revealed: Blair's secret mission to woo Kerry
Tony Blair freaking out because he’s going to be the only one still supporting what we're doing in the war after Kerry gets elected on Tuesday.
How Bin Laden Got Away
this is just sad… a calendar of November 2001 with color coded major events related to Bin Laden and Iraq.
Pirates and terrorists: Yo ho ho, infidel
Real pirating has tripled in the past decade reaching the highest level in modern history.
RNC fear-phrases video
911, 911, 911, 911, terrorists, terrorists, terrorists, terrorists, weapons, nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction, weapons, terrorists, terrorists, terrorists, terrorists.. Vote Bush!
Their beliefs are bonkers, but they are at the heart of power
“US Christian fundamentalists are driving Bush’s Middle East policy.”
US: Korea Cloud Not From Nuclear Blast
Massive mushroom cloud spotted near a Noth Korean nuclear testing facilities. But don’t worry, we don’t think they're letting off nukes or anything.
Bad Gas - Striking a Lynndie
“The image has shocked, sickened and outraged people. But more importantly, it has captured the imagination of young men and women up and down the country who don’t give much of a shit about anything.”
Dear Media, my fake beheading video 0wn3d J00
“Our hearts go out not only to the families of those who have died as a result of international terrorism, but to the soldiers who have also bravely died for my right to speak freely.”