Centcom: Bin Laden video coming

Central Command (centcom) is reporting that Bin Laden will be putting out a new video. How convenient.

Al-Sahab Expected To Release New Bin Ladin
Video

Terrorism: Al-Sahab Reportedly To Release New Bin
Ladin Video Message

On 4 April, a jihadist website carried the
following posting:

"After a long absence by the shaykh of mujahidin,
whom we have missed as well as his speeches, some news is being leaked
indicating that Shaykh Usama Bin Ladin, God protect and preserve him and make
him a thorn in the throat of the enemies, will make an appearance. The news
indicates that Al-Sahab Media Establishment, which specializes in
publishing Al-Qa'ida leaders' speeches, has recently finished producing a video
featuring Bin Ladin's speech to the entire Islamic nation. "

Furthermore, the poster of this note maintains
that the speech includes several messages to the "mujahidin" in Iraq, the
Palestinian People on " the capitulation choice which HAMAS gave in to," the
Riyadh Arab summit, the "fears" of America and its allies of the establishment
of the Islamic Caliphate state in Iraq, and the "good tidings of victory in Iraq
and Afghanistan."

http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom2/Exposing%20the%20Enemy/Al-Sahab%20Expected%20To%20Release%20New%20Bin%20Ladin%20Video.aspx

My only question is: why the hell is he still roaming around making videos?

Beer and Politics

At my favorite microbrewery we have a lot of political discussions and while this may sound arrogant, we're a pretty astute group. I'm not sure if micro's draw a more well informed crowd than regular bars, but the "mog" sure seems to. The regulars are predominantly liberal, but there are enough conservatives to keep the debate lively.
Recently, there's been a great deal of talk about the '08 candidates. While I've heard a variety of preferences and reasons for them, one thing is clear: the beltway pundits don't know us or how we view the candidates. The myriad views I hear are much more nuanced than what I hear and see from the media.
On the liberal side there's no consensus on any one candidate, but a general view that Obama or Edwards would be better than Clinton. Richardson is generally viewed as someone who would be a good president but unlikely to be elected.
There seems to be a real malaise on the conservative side (I should add that the conservative I know are disgusted with Shrub, albeit for different reasons than I am). None of the Repub candidates seems to have any real support, but I've heard a lot of "anyone but McCain" talk. We're in Arizona so this should be his turf, but amongst the conservatives that I know he's lost credibility.
There's still a lot of time before the first primary(s), but I'm curious as to how this compares with political conversation elsewhere. How are people talking about the election where you are?
And readers, if you find yourself in Flagstaff, AZ, stop by the Mogollonhttp://www.mogbrew.com/, and join in the discussion.

Un-serious

After two serious posts, I must do something lighter.

So here's a mossy vug at Travertine Falls in the Grand Canyon. What would you like to see next?

More on diplomacy

Reading some serious stuff on foreign policy and public opinion, this study shows the American public is smarter than I sometimes give them credit for.
http://www.publicagenda.org/foreignpolicy/index.cfm

This desire for diplomacy is particularly apparent in public attitudes on the spread of nuclear weapons. As far as the vast majority of Americans are concerned, military force is "off the table" in dealing with Iran's nuclear program and its possible meddling in Iraq. There's also been a
sharp drop in public confidence in military force as a tool for dealing with other countries developing weapons of mass destruction—even though controlling the spread of nuclear weapons is the public's top policy priority and one of its major fears.

The public anxiety on our foreign policy is wee founded. We're failing in more than just Iraq.

Certainly the public's anguish and frustration over Iraq is a driving force in this questioning of U.S. policy. Multiple national surveys demonstrate attitudes on the war have turned sharply negative. But it would be a mistake to believe that public dissatisfaction with the Iraq war is confined to just the conduct of the war itself. The public's anxiety spills over into the
entire range of challenges facing the United States in a dangerous world, leading them to question fundamental premises and to give the government poor grades on multiple fronts.

Here's a chart on the public's view on Iran.


Note that "Public Agenda" is part of "Foreign Affairs", one of the most comprehensive venues for policy debates for decades. I routinely read the magazine back in the pre-internet days, and the online magazine is a great resource.http://www.foreignaffairs.org/

The Middle East muddle

I have a long standing interest in the middle east, both in history and current events. While I'm certainly not an expert (see Juan Colehttp://www.juancole.com/ for that), I consider myself fairly well informed. A lot of interesting events are happening over the past few days.
Pelosi in Syria, including a "peace message" from Isreal:

"We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a
road to peace," Pelosi told reporters after her talks with Assad.

Pelosi said she and her delegation "expressed our concern about Syria's
connections to Hezbollah and Hamas" and discussed the issue of militant fights
slipping across the Syrian border into Iraq.

"These are important issues not only in the fight against terrorism but important priorities for us for peace in the Middle East," she said.

She said she brought a message to Assad from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel was ready for peace talks with Syria. Assad gave assurances that "he's ready to engage in negotiations for peace with Israel," Pelosi said. She later left Syria, heading for Saudi Arabia, the next leg of a Mideast tour.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070404/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_pelosi

Iran to free hosttages:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the release of 15 captive British
soldiers and sailors Wednesday in what he called an Easter gift to the British
people.

"On the occasion of the birthday of the great prophet (Muhammad) ... and for the occasion of the passing of Christ, I say the Islamic Republic government and the Iranian people — with all powers and legal right to put the soldiers on trial — forgave those 15," he said, referring to the Muslim prophet's birthday on March 30 and the Easter holiday.

Saudi frustration with Bush:

Saudi Arabia is trying to bring Syria back to the negotiating table (along with Lebanon and Israel), and is seeking some kind of understanding with Iran - a few days ago President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made an important visit to Riyadh .
The Saudi influence even extends to Pakistan (old connections that have existed
since the anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan), and it has a huge moderating influence on the decisions of OPEC.

The biggest frustration of the Saudis, however, is named George W. Bush. Despite old ties between the Bush family and the Saudis, King Abdullah feels that he hasn't been listened to on any vital question of recent times - especially the invasion of Iraq. And worse: not even his warnings were taken into account. The King spoke freely and in full during a blunt speech full of acid criticism of the Americans - amongst them, that the occupation of Iraq is illegal.

Most curiously, in part the Israeli diplomats fully agree with the Saudis. "The
Iranians should build a monument in honor of Bush, due to the gifts that Iran
has received due to American policy in the Middle East"

The last is from Munaeems bloghttp://www.munaeem.org/, which I recently found. Well worth reading for his perpective as a Pakistani, he's become one of my daily reads.

While it's unclear how this will all sort out, I see some positive signs that maybe cooler heads will prevail over the administrations idiotic lust for war. If anyone can prevent a war with Iran, the whole world will be better off. The Iraq debacle will be with us for decades, no matter when the troops are withdrawn. But maybe diplomacy will minimize the damage. We can at least give it a try.

Will Durst

With the start of baseball season and the presidential exhibition season, Will Durst writes a very amusing column "Presidential spring training". For the baseball/politics junkies who stop by (I know who both of you are), go read:
http://www.workingforchange.com/printitem.cfm?itemid=22193
selected parts:

With no sitting President or Vice President running for the first time in 80 years, the '08 field promises to be more crowded than a trainer's table after the first day of wind sprints for pitchers and Molinas. Besides, this is America. Where any Dominican can become a
shortstop, and any American can become President, although when they coined that
phrase, I'm not sure they had George Bush in mind.

...

50 to 1. Delaware Senator Joe Biden. Back on disabled list with persistent foot in mouth disease. A little too comfortable flossing with own shoelaces.

...

8,000,000 to 1. Former Ohio Senator Dennis Kucinich. Could lose Iowa straw poll to the straw.

...

15 to 1. Fred Thompson. Warming up in the bullpen, if needed to relieve. Of course America would never accept an actor as President. Oh.

Added: Dang it, Gordon over at "The Alternate Brain" beat me to this.http://alterx.blogspot.com/

Pelosi going to Syria

This could be quite interesting. Shrub's people are blasting Pelosi for talking with Syria, but not the rethug congress critters who are doing the same. The Isreali's endorse the talks, the wingnuts scream their usual nonsense, and in the end Nancy takes a sensible approach to the talks.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday she had "no
illusions but great hope" for her talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad this week which she said would focus on the fight against terrorism.

"When we go there we'll be talking about the overarching issue of the fight against terrorism and the role that Syria can play to help or to hinder ...," Pelosi told reporters after talks with Lebanese majority leader Saad al-Hariri.

"We think it's a good idea to establish the facts, to hopefully build some confidence between us," she said. "We have no illusions but great hope."http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0237690320070402

Madame Speaker, I salute you. A calm, logical, and realistic dialogue with Syria may not work. But it sure has a much better chance than the administrations petulant rhetoric.

Just Dropped In To See What Condition...

...My Hurricane Condition is In.

The following is the NOAA Hurricane Center's December 2006 predictions for the 2007 hurricane season. I bring this up, because the NHC (National Hurricane Center) will release its first report for the ongoing 2007 season tomorrow, Tuesday 03 April 2007, and I'll be very interested to see any variances between what they thought in December versus today.

ATLANTIC BASIN SEASONAL HURRICANE FORECAST FOR 2007
Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)
8 December 2006 Forecast for 2007


Named Storms (NS) (9.6) 14

Named Storm Days (NSD) (49.1) 70

Hurricanes (H) (5.9) 7

Hurricane Days (HD) (24.5) 35

Intense Hurricanes (IH) (2.3) 3

Intense Hurricane Days (IHD) (5.0) 8

Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1) 130

Net Tropical Cyclone Activity (NTC) (100%) 140

Now, my predictions for the 2006 season were higher than all of these, although I admit that I disregarded the 1950-1995 results almost entirely and based it on 1996-2004 values. Which, I'll cheerfully admit, probably skewed the hell out of my results. Of course, I was sort of angling for a worst case scenario, so I had 21 named storms, 100 named storm days, 11 hurricanes, roughly 50 hurricane days, and 7 intense hurricanes . Ah, thank you Excel for warping my methodology beyond all reason.

What really caught my eye, though, was this paragraph (emphasis mine):

Our initial 6-11 month early December seasonal hurricane forecast scheme (Gray et al. 1992) demonstrated hindcast skill for the period of 1950-1990 but did not give skillful results when utilized on a real-time basis for forecasts between 1995-2001. This was due to the discontinuation of the strong relationships we had earlier found between West African rainfall and the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) with Atlantic basin major hurricane activity 6-11 months in the future. We did not expect these relationships that had worked so well for 41 years to stop working from 1995 onward.

Ummmmm, global warming anyone? Could that just maybe, possibly, thrown a teensy, weensy wobble into your predictive capabilities since 1995? That was, what, only 12 years ago, right? A-and we all know global warming's just a crock o' shite, correct?

Must be all those butterflies flapping their wings in China, I guess.

Meanwhile, the lousy (and by lousy, I mean ferocious) '97-'98 hurricane seasons showed an average raised Atlantic water basin temperature of 2.3 degrees (Celsius, I believe); inital predictions for 2007 gauge a probable average raise of 1.7 degrees.

I guess it's the 0.6 degrees of separation that'll determine the hurricane season this year.

Iraq and McCain

I rarely join in the "blog topic of the day", but I read Juan Cole's http://www.juancole.com/ comments and felt they should be highlighted.
McCain put on the "things are better" show with 100 soldiers and a group of helicopters guarding him. Yeah, I guess that's safe.

This grandstanding trip that John McCain took to Baghdad on Sunday is another
occasion for propaganda to shore up his falling poll numbers in his presidential
campaign. He said, "Things are better and there are encouraging signs. I've been here . . . many times over the years. Never have I been able to drive from the airport, never have I been able go out into the city as I was today."

He said that only three days after the US embassy issued an order that personnel are to wear 'personal protective equipment' when moving between buildings inside the Green Zone! He said it the day two suicide belt bombs were found inside the
Green Zone. So he could ride in an armored car in from the airport. That's the
big achievement? What about when he gets to the Green Zone? Then he has to put
on PPE to go to the cafeteria.

Look, I lived in the midst of a civil war in the late 1970s in Beirut. I know exactly what it looks and smells like. The inexperienced often assume that when a guerrilla war or a civil war is going on, life grinds to a standstill. Not so. People go shopping for food. They drive where they need to go as long as they don't hear that there is a firefight in that area. They go to work if they still have work. Life goes on. It is just
that, unexpectedly, a mortar shell might land near you. Or the person ahead of
you in line outside the bakery might fall dead, victim of a sniper's bullet. The bazaars are bustling some days (all the moreso because it is good to stock up on supplies the days when the violence isn't so bad). So nothing that John McCain saw in Baghdad on Sunday meant a damn thing. Not a goddamn thing.

It makes my blood boil.

Mr. Cole is THE source to go to for accurate reporting on Iraq. Iraq is not getting better, people.

A positive step

Today's Supreme Court ruling on its opinion in Massachusetts v. EPA, ordering the federal government to look at regulating greenhouse gasses, is a positive step. While I harbor no illusions about this administrations willingness to make any substantial effort on global warming, they've lost one excuse for doing nothing.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/04/02/scotus.greenhousegas.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming.

In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.

stolen without comment

yet.
Stolen from Gordon at The Alternate Brain http://alterx.blogspot.com/, who has a good 4/1 story for you.

Another river pic

Taken by one of the other folk on the trip. That's me with the oars.

A quick note on the pet food contamination

I don't have a dog or cat, so I haven't been too focused on the pet food contamination scandal (see monkeyfister for all the details). Atrocia eats rats. Fat, live rats. But I got to thinking, isn't this just what we should expect in the wake of rethuglican deregulation? The e.coli outbreaks have proven that this administration doesn't care about peoples safety, so why would they care about pets?
What really does make me nervous about all the FDA cutbacks is food safety. Safety regulations cut into corporate profits, dontcha know. I would like my tax dollars to ensure that what I buy at the grocery store is safe to eat. Is that unreasonable?
I guess that in the era of shrub, I'll have to trust that our corporate overlords won't kill too many of us, as that would be bad for business.
My sympathies to all who's pets have been effected by this.

Boat Day

Aah, it's a beautiful spring Sunday. Today, I'm doing a boat tuneup in preparation for my trip at the end of the month.

I haven't said anything about my old raft before. "The Great Pumpkin" is an 18' Green River bucket boat. She's over 30 years old. I got her four years ago, at a steal of a price.
The "Pumpkin" is about as heavy a raft as you can get, and can be a real workout to row when fully loaded. The annual tuneup consists of inflating, searching for any new leaks that may have emerged over the winter, patching where needed, and cleaning. Thankfully, Zymurgian has offered to help with this as moving the old boat is at least a 2 man job. In return, I'm letting Zymurgian row some of the rapids on the upcoming trip (he's been a passenger before, but this will be his first time as a boatman). Because the "Pumpkin" is such a heavy boat it's also very stable, so it's a good boat to learn on.

Here's to a happy boat.

Adding to the blogroll

Made a few additions. More to follow. I will mention that for a different line on the middle east check out Munaeem http://www.munaeem.org/. I found him via Cernig at NewsHog http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/ , who is a great source.

Brazil to Offer Free Internet to Amazon Tribes

This is an interesting idea. Brazil is trying to use the internet to combat illegal logging in the Amozon rain forest. I hope it works:
http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12488

BRASILIA -- Brazil will offer free satellite Internet connections to indigenous tribes in the Amazon as part of its latest effort to crack down on illegal logging in the world's largest tropical rain forest.

The plan will bring Internet to 150 small communities in the Amazon and other remote areas including Brazil's Pantanal wetlands and its arid Northeast. Many villages in such areas are cut off from outsiders because they lack basic infrastructure like roads.

"Internet helped us bring in the police (when we had illegal logging in our area)," said Benhi Piyanko, a member of an Ashaninka indigenous village of some 500 people in the Amazon state of Acre. "We managed to spread the message widely. We even reached the president."

While the Brazilian government will provide the Internet access, state and local governments will have to come up with a way to provide computers so the Internet can be used.

Cake on the river

I don't feel like being too serious this morning, so I'll share a story from the last river trip.

One of the folk on the trip, EJ, celebrated her birthday on the second day of the trip. We baked a pineapple-upside-down cake.

Now, some may not be familiar with the fine art of wilderness baking (those of you who are can ignore this post). I am always amused when there's a newbie on the trip who's shocked by a fresh baked treat while camping.

The dutch oven (hereafter DO) is a wonderful invention, allowing the baking of many a gourmet dish. I only use a cast iron DO, but the aluminum ones are also workable. The real secret is managing the charcoal briquettes. The most common error I've seen is using too many coals, leading to an overcooked outside with an under done middle.

For cakes: Start by lighting 12 to 14 charcoal briquettes. Grease the DO lightly, and put cake mix in (package mix or from scratch). Arrange the burning briquettes in a ring on the lid. Some folks make the mistake of also putting briquettes under the DO, but you shouldn't do this for cakes, as the bottom will scorch before the middle is done. Briquettes on the bottom work well for meat dishes, but not for cakes.

The big secret is to be patient. DO's aren't fast. As the briquettes burn down, resist the temptation to add more. When the cake smell is emanating from the DO, wait 5 more minutes before removing the lid. Allow the cake to cool before removing it from the DO.

Enjoy!

Can We Stop With the Beer Talk?

Mein Gott, I am so sick of the following bullshit that's being peddled (yet again) in the press:

There is a general sense in politics that it helps a candidate if he (and yes, in this case, it is definitely "he" rather than "he or she") comes across as "the guy with whom you would most like to have a beer." For example, we were often told during 2000 and 2004 that this was an advantage for Bush over Gore and Kerry. If people would rather have a beer with Bush, then that means they view Bush as more personable and homey than the supposedly stiff Gore and Kerry. Or, at least, more personable and homey to dudes.

Now this crap usually erupts much later in the "campaigns", but given the 2008 head start, it's rearing it's ugly head earlier than usual. And, frankly, I DON'T WANT TO HAVE A BEER WITH ANY OF YOU MOTHERFUCKERS! I'M ELECTING YOU TO RUN THE COUNTRY SO I CAN GO HAVE A GODDAMN BEER IN PEACE WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT ALL THE BULLSHIT!

I have a beer with many good friends every damn day! I love them all dearly, but running the motherf*cking country? Jesus-motherf*cking-c*nt-haired Christ, all of them AND MYSELF INCLUDED, can just roughly, on a good day, manage our own fucking lives squarely; could we really be responsible for the "fate" of 300 million Americans and the prestige and standing of America in the world? I think not.

And this is not to diss on my friends, many of whom are regular pygalgia readers/posters. After all, they wouldn't want me in charge either, and I don't blame them. My episodic rants of "Kill Bush" or "Send the Twin Bush C*nts to Iraq", probably (secretly) make them happy, but who knows when I'd be calling for everyone to join to the War On Terror/Global War Against Extremists/Jihad/Whatever-the-Fuck-We're-Calling-It these days
and force them to join up.

I don't want a President I can have a beer with - at all. I want a President that can govern, that has the foresight to see what issues are facing America: short-term and long-term, and can rally both the people and the legislature to support his/her view. I want a President that will level with the American people, and not equivocate. If I have to drive only 3 days a week because we're out of gas, then fucking tell me we're out of gas and let me deal. If we can or cannot provide health care insurance to the 47-60 million Americans that don't have it - I want a fucking CONCRETE answer WHY - not just platitudes about market forces and insurance industry pablum. If I need a certain presciption drug that is only provided by one manufacturer (who has written off development costs in the 1990s, but still charges full price), then I want the government to tromp in like Tony Soparno, put their foot on those companies balls and step down HARD until they give in.

I want our government to stop dilly-dallying around with the state of energy in this country. I mostly gave up driving my car; I changed all my lights to CFBs; I don't even run my heat in the winter (ask my girlfriend if you think I'm joking). Now, I'm not asking for a subsidy, but what about a little gov't action? Raise the fucking CAFE standards! Make incandescent bulbs illegal (like CA is doing)! Force research into alternative energy - to the tune of, I don't know 75 billion a year, instead of 1.5 billion?

I want my government to make it possible that everybody has a decent living wage. I know for a fact that I can never buy a house in my own hometown, unless my mother dies and leaves me lots of dough. And me?, worrying about buying a house?! I have several friends that are worried about dental work - which means they can't eat properly - which means they aren't as healthy as they should be - which means they are not performing at their maximal economic ability (for all you dumb-fuck Republicans that say tough shit, I'd remind you that they are not performing at their maximal output for you because they're too much in pain and worrying about their chipped tooth). I'm not saying free open-heart surgery for all, but when a colleague is having trouble because of a chipped f*cking tooth! then I'd say you're not doing your jobs.

Damn, I'm barely getting started on a rant and I haven't even mentioned international issues yet. Let's just say, that I'd be scared flying to HAWAII, which, as many of you governmental types don't know, is part of the United States! I've got to take off my shoes, have someone run a wand over my balls, and maybe even go through the "I can see your bones" detector just so I can visit another Americna state. I'd go visit San Diego, but I'm sure I won't be allowed to in a couplpe of years, unless I have a government-issued ID.

Anyway, this rant has gone on enough, and has varied from my major idea - that I'm so sick of politicians pandering to the "generalist" amongst us. Frankly, I want the politicans to take a stand - even if I don't agree with it. Maybe it's the early campaigning season or something, but I, like you, am goddam tired of it all.

dumpster divePART 3

Hi. I am stuck in the year 2013. What happened is i fell into a wormhole-dumpster i mistook as a regular one. In hindsight, shoulda had the new guy take out the trash that day...
(dear reader, perusing prior posts on this site, regarding Zymurgian's involuntary perigrination, or dumpster dive, may unfurrow yer brow.)
So, after having crawled out of that "dumpster", only to be whapped about by horrific wind, i met this cool chick who rescued me via some personal-teleportation device everyone apparently wears these days. I've only been in the future awhile, folks, but so far i've gleaned that, by 2013, vehicles have been rendered superfluous.! According to Jenisalaamefer, it all started seven years ago, with the personal cell phone craze. Now, in 2013, when you want to actually go somewhere(physically) all you gotta do is press a few buttons on a cell-phonish descendent called an i-trover. Oh, and did i mention that the future has no pavement? No more roads. Just fields of thick, verdant grass. But the gusters suck. And it's pretty fuckin hot, all the time, over here.

Friday-not a cat

Muqtada Al-Sadr

Of the many things that aggravate me, one is the administration and media tendency to oversimplify and demonize our opposition. This is especially true in the case of Muqtada Al-Sadr. Notice how he is always identified as the "radical" cleric. But "radical" as opposed to what? If you only listen to the administration, he's some evil super-villain. But the reality of Al-Sadr is a great deal more complex. He does oppose the American occupation of Iraq, but his Mahdi army has not engaged in full-scale insurgency against us (yes, there have been incidents with some factions, but nothing compared to what could happen if his estimated 80,000 trained fighters mobilized). He does want Iraq to become an Islamic theocracy, with himself in power, but he is also a modern capitalist. He has opposed Iranian intervention in Iraq, but has accepted Iranian aid. Thus far, he has played the politics of the new Iraq rather deftly, controlling 30 seats in parliament. He is again calling on his followers to engage in peaceful resistance, this time on April 9th to commemorate the fall of Baghdad.

The latest statement was read to worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Kufa, a holy Shiite city south of Baghdad where al-Sadr frequently led the ritual. It also was read to thousands of worshippers in Baghdad's Sadr City Shiite district, a stronghold of his Mahdi Army militia.

"I renew my call for the occupier (the United States) to leave our land," he said in the statement, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. "The departure of the occupier will mean stability for Iraq, victory for Islam and peace and defeat for terrorism and infidels."

Al-Sadr, whose militia fought U.S. troops in 2004 but has generally cooperated with an ongoing U.S.-Iraqi security push in Baghdad, blamed the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq for the violence raging in the country, lack of services as well as sectarian bloodshed.

"Four years on and Iraq is still without water, electricity, fuel, security, safety and, furthermore, it is in the middle of sedition," he said in the statement, which is dated March 25 but was only issued Friday.

"As if this was not enough, the occupier also isolated Iraq from the Arab and Muslim worlds, so much so that all foreign nations have ceased to care about an Iraq lying in ruin," it added.

Al-Sadr has been a vocal critic of the U.S. presence in Iraq since the very beginning, rallying tens of thousands of supporters in mass anti-American protests since his Sadrist movement rose to prominence in 2003 as the protector of impoverished Shiites.

"You, oppressed people of Iraq, let the entire world hear your voice that you reject occupation, destruction and terrorism," he said in calling for the April 9 demonstration.

"Fly Iraqi flags atop homes, apartment buildings and government departments to show the sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and that you reject the presence of American flags and those of other nations occupying our beloved Iraq. Keep them there until they leave our land," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/30/iraq.al.sadr.ap/index.html

I'm not saying that Muqtada is in any way a good guy, but he's not quite the demon that the media portray. His vision of Iraq is only a threat to America if our intent is to have Iraq be a client state. Simply put, he's fighting for an independent Iraq, which from another perspective would make him a patriot. It is important to understand his words and goals, rather than to simply paint him as a demon.
In reality, we may have to deal with Al-Sadr for a long time. He's made himself a power player, and we might be better off working with him than trying to eliminate him.

200th post

So here we are at 200 posts, one day over 2 months of blogging. Almost looks like a real blog.
I started this blog as a place to say whatever I felt a need to say- in other words, a pure vanity blog. I invited some people who's intelligence and wit I respect to join in posting, and I'm grateful that Sweaterman and Zymurgian have added their unique voices to this humble blog.
I may not say anything about the "blog issue" of the day, often because I feel that I don't have anything of substance to add to the discussion. There are a lot of smart people in blogtopia (y,sctp) doing a lot of important work, and I salute them. But I'm not going to try to be like them. I'll just be me (did I mention "vanity blog"?).
There's a "grading" of blogs as "a-list", "b-list", etc. This blog is somewhere down on the "u-list" or "v-list", and I'm happy with that. I really appreciate the support and comments that we've gotten. It's like making new friends. Folks like Fixer, Monkeyfister, Demeur, and Badtux have become the friends I've never actually met but I'm always happy to hear from.
So, to my few readers, thanks for stopping by. Hope you find something worthwhile, and please feel free to comment.

A Quick Hit

This is cheating, but I'm posting a pic so I can get to the next post to say something else.

March Madness

Great cartoon found at The Alternate Brain http://alterx.blogspot.com/, and stolen fair and square.

The Myth of Voter Fraud

Good article in the WaPo that shoots down the right-wing myth of voter fraud. As people close to me know, I work every election as an inspector (and have since I was of legal voting age). I do this because I believe strongly in democracy. I'm very outspoken on political issues most every day, but on election day I have to be completely impartial. In my almost thirty years as an election worker, I have never seen any incident of deliberate voter fraud. Sure, some people you see show up at the wrong polling place or who are unclear on the registration requirement. But those things don't constitute fraud.

Allegations of voter fraud -- someone sneaking into the polls to cast an illicit vote -- have been pushed in recent years by partisans seeking to justify proof-of-citizenship and other restrictive ID requirements as a condition of voting. Scare stories abound on the Internet and on editorial pages, and they quickly become accepted wisdom.

But the notion of widespread voter fraud, as these prosecutors found out, is itself a fraud. Firing a prosecutor for failing to find wide voter fraud is like firing a park ranger for failing to find Sasquatch.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/28/AR2007032801969.html?reload=true

When the Rethugs talk about "voter fraud", they really mean "people who are
likely to vote against them".

As an aside, if anyone reading this is not registered to vote I would urge you to register. For our democracy to work it must include as many people as possible. Democracy is still the least bad form of government invented.

It's about to get worse

In the Middle East. When I want to understand Middle East politics, I turn to Juan Cole, http://www.juancole.com/. The latest debacle is the loss of the support of Saudi King Abdullah on Iraq. This does not bode well for any chance of reducing the sectarian violence. I'll let Professor Cole explain:

Saudi King Abdullah said on Wednesday at the opening of the Arab League meetings, "“In beloved Iraq, blood is shed among our brothers while there is an illegitimate foreign occupation and a hateful sectarianism that is threatening to develop into a civil war . . .”

King Abdullah followed up on these harsh criticisms of the US by cancelling his
planned appearance at a White House dinner in April. The Saudi royal family is
fit to be tied that Bush gave Iraq away to fundamentalist Shiite parties that have close ties to Iran.

Although the Saudi statement is remarkable for its brutal frankness and coldness toward the United States, its real significance is its slam of the government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Abdullah has not only said that the US presence is an illegal occupation, he has said that the al-Maliki government is nothing more than
Shiite sectarian hegemony. The Saudis are known for their behind the scenes
diplomacy and their public discretion. King Abdullah is hopping mad, to talk this way. It augurs ill for US-Saudi relations. Abdullah is also angry that Bush is letting the Palestine issue fester and that he pushed for open Palestinian elections but then cut off the Hamas government once it was elected. Abdullah thinks Bush is pursuing irrational policies, the effect of which is to destabilize the Middle East. He is so angry that he sounds a bit like Iraqi Sunni fundamentalist leader Harith al-Dhari, who is connected in some shadowy way with the Sunni guerrillas fighting the US

Can Shrub and co. do anything right? They seem to be determined to make a bad situation worse, and the threats towards Iran are escalating daily.

Hello, Mr. Renzi

Well, I guess that one way to get more visitors is to call your congress critter "corrupt". I see by the old sitemeter that every time I post a reference to Rick "carpetbagger" Renzi, I get visits from ".house.gov.?". Thanks for noticing, and please feel free to leave a comment.

Target: Renzi

So the Dems are targeting our own pet corrupt rethug congress critter, Rick "carpetbagger" Renzi. Good for them.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0307/3319.html

Emboldened by the turnovers, the party now is targeting another veteran Republican, Rep. Rick Renzi, and is attempting to implicate him in the controversy stemming from the firing of eight federal prosecutors.

Democrats had already begun to target Renzi on ethics issues before the U.S. attorneys firing controversy broke. In a January memo, Democratic Congressional
Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) identified Renzi's seat as
one of his top targets because of alleged ethical indiscretions.

Another Brick in the Wall

"Congressional Research Service Clamps Down On Public Distribution"
More Government secrecy, I see. Mustn't let the public know where their tax dollars are going or who earmarks how much for pork barrel projects.
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_53472.shtml

In what is being characterized by subordinates as an act of "managerial dementia," the Director of the Congressional Research Service this week prohibited all public distribution of CRS products without prior approval from senior agency officials.

"I have concluded that prior approval should now be required at the division or office level before products are distributed to members of the public," wrote CRS Director Daniel P. Mullohan in a memo to all CRS staff. "This policy is effective immediately."

While CRS has long refused (with Congressional concurrence) to make its electronic database of reports available to the public online, it has still been possible for members of the press, other researchers, and other government officials to request
specific reports from the congressional support agency.

But now, "to avoid inconsistencies and to increase accountability, CRS policy requires prior approval at the division level before products can be disseminated to
non-congressionals," Director Mullohan wrote.

While this is far from the worst abuse out there, it's one more brick in a wall to block accountability. It stinks.

Oil Quiz

Found this interesting quiz on oil in the world. I did pretty well, getting 10 of 12. I expect Sweaterman will ace it. Go here to test yourself:
http://www.energybulletin.net/27804.html

Finding the heedle in a naystack

I'm searching for a new thing to say, but it's not happening. So here's another pic from the river.

dumpster dive PART 2

This post will not make a damn bit of sense to you, if you are not already familiar of how Zymurgian happens to be posting from the year 2013. Please scroll down a few posts, to insure yer understanding of this one, if you care to.

"I'm glad we made it" says Jenisalaamefer, my first acquaintence of 2013, and my valiant rescuer from a deadly windstorm, or "guster", as they say these days. " My i-trover is low on batteries. We barely escaped the water-plunder hordes."
Yer what? The what hordes?" Her wierd purplish silver eyes, this future chick, they widen in an expression of wonder and exasperation, perhaps fear. Jenisalaamefer (huh?) clad in white robes, with some kind of i-poddish thing on a hemp necklace astride her resplendent bosom, doesn't know what to make of me any more than I do of her...
Or of how I was just taking out the trash, moments ago, and the fucking dumpster decided to fling me to the year 2013! I try telling her this.
"Well, she sighs, "I can tell you have a scrotum and a penis, and nobody has that equipment downloaded anymore. You don't even have an i-trover on! Cyber-Hiitites would rip you a new third eye for that, dumbass! And you are also stupid enough to be out during a guster, without propper sheathing."
I'm wearing Carharts and a hoodie. "Well, this garb was fine for 2007."
Jenisalaamefer tosses her splendiferous auburn locks and giggles. " There is so much that Allahjesu has willed since yer day. Did you guys have homebrew in 2007? Probably not huh? Well I just bottled a decent batch of IPA. Wanna homebrew?
Perhaps 2013 doesn't totally suck. Anyway, posting from the future is tough. I will inform you of my predicament as I am able, Google willing- Insh'Allah-Amen.

Iran attack on?

Don't know if this is credible, or deliberate disinformation. I'm unclear as to why the Russian military would be leaking this at this time.
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_1888.shtml

Operation Bite: April 6 sneak attack by US forces against Iran planned, Russian military sources warn

WASHINGTON DC, -- The long awaited US military attack on Iran is now on track for the first week of April, specifically for 4 am on April 6,
the Good Friday opening of Easter weekend, writes the well-known Russian journalist Andrei Uglanov

Via the ever brilliant Monkeyfister:http://monkeyfister.blogspot.com/

More Pics

Because I can:

The job pays what?

The things people will do for money. I heard this story on the BBC, and went WHA? You taped three live crocodiles to your upper body? And this pays how much?
http://rawstory.com/news/dpa/Gaza_woman_caught_smuggling_crocodi_03252007.html

Jerusalem- A Palestinian woman was caught trying to smuggle three crocodiles from Egypt into the Gaza Strip via Rafah BorderCrossing, it was revealed Sunday...
the smuggler tried to cross Thursday into Gaza with thethree crocodiles taped to her
upper body...
She related that she wanted to sell the reptiles to a local zoo.

Unfortunately, there aren't pictures with the story.

Perspective

Back in the late '90's, I read a great book titled "The Fourth Turning", by William Strauss and Neil Howe http://www.fourthturning.com/html/fourth_turning.html. Basically, the book discussed the cycles of history and how they could be predictive of the future. Written in 1997, the authors declared that we were heading into a cycle of crisis within 10 years.

Strauss and Howe base this vision on a provocative theory of American history as a series of recurring 80- to 100-year cycles. Each cycle has four "turnings"-a High, an
Awakening, an Unraveling, and a Crisis. The authors locate today's America as midway through an Unraveling, roughly a decade away from the next Crisis (or Fourth Turning). And they recommend ways Americans can prepare for what's ahead, as a nation and as individuals.

I bring this up because of the many posts on economic, enviormental, and militaristic threats that we face in the near future, and how to get through them.

People support new efforts to wield public authority, whose perceived successes
soon justify more of the same. Government governs, community obstacles are
removed, and laws and customs that resisted change for decades are swiftly
shunted aside. A grim preoccupation with civic peril causes spiritual curiosity to decline. A sense of public urgency contributes to a clampdown on “bad” conduct or “anti-social” lifestyles. People begin feeling shameful about what they earlier did
to absolve guilt. Public order tightens, private risk-taking abates, and crime and substance abuse decline. Families strengthen, gender distinctions widen, and child-rearing reaches a smothering degree of protection and structure. The young focus
their energy on worldly achievements, leaving values in the hands of the old. Wars are fought with fury and for maximum result.

I wish I had a copy of the book with me today, as it has become quite prophetic.

San Juan pics

Here's a few photos from the San Juan trip. As I downloaded these, I was reminded that I really should take notes when I take pictures so that I remember which is which.

I'll put up more soon, but these should let you have a glimpse of the scenery.

I'm Back

Aah, the joy of the river. I'm back from seven glorious days on the San Juan river. I'll post some pics after I download them from the camera, but I've got a lot of gear to clean first.
Short trip description: Mexican Hat to Clay Hills, six people, four boats, some weather, great food, beautiful scenery, and beer. Two of the people on the trip are geology professors, so it was a great learning opportunity (I took geology 101 around 30 years ago, and the bits of information I've learned since are rather incomplete). The rapids were a blast.
The other beautiful thing was seven days of NO news. It was a mind cleanser. I'm a bit of a politics/news junkie, but I felt no withdrawal symptoms. Reading the news this morning, I realized how healthy it was for me to just get away from it for a while. The evil bastards will keep on being evil bastards, whether I'm paying attention or not. While it is important to keep fighting them, sometimes it's important to take care of your own sanity by stepping away. I feel refreshed.
But I do have a lot of gear to clean. More later.

?

Temper-tantrum Tyrant

I was speaking with a friend in Portland the other day, and while on the phone, his kid decided to throw a temper-tantrum, as kids his age (4) are often wont to do. I guess as a parent you're pretty immune to this, but for someone outside the interaction, it can be pretty frustrating.

I mention this because it's seems our Fuhrer, after getting bitch-slapped by Congress, decided to stamp his feet and whine and yell and generally act like a 4-year old, as he always does when people don't continuously fawn upon him.

Well, Mr. Bush, grow the fuck up, you namby-pamby wuss. You don't always get to do exactly what you want all the time, a lesson my parents taught me, strangely, when I was four years old. Seventy percent of Americans want our troops out of Iraq, and we went to the polls and elected people who said they would do that, and that's just what they are attempting to do. That's the way democracy works.

Frankly, Mr. Bush, given your record for shitty decision-making, your obstinacy just reinforces the beliefs of that 70-percent who are against you; and rendering you, in our minds, even more impotent than before. Although, speaking for myself, I've never had an ounce of respect for a man who could barely stumble through college; maybe if you'd paid more attention, America wouldn't be in the horrible state it is today.

So, go ahead and force your Constitutional Crisis, Mr. Bush. Sure, it'll go to the Supreme Court, and they'll rule in your favor. But, that will only strengthen most Americans beliefs in the unfairness of the system and decrease respect for the GOP. You're doing more to crush conservatism than I could accomplish in a million years.

Heck of a job, Bushie.

dumpster dive, PART ONE

Usually a dumpster is a dumpster, but there's one Downtown that is actually a time machine; a wormhole in space that occasionally boots up and sucks things into other dimensions. Well, I don't really know what happened- I was tossing a bag of trash into its greasy maw when a freaky green light appeared and...
I've been teleported to the year 2013, guys. The difficulties with posting back in time have been legion, I won't even get into that now... Anyway, I'm apparently trapped over here, been hanging around the dumpster hoping that wormhole manifests again . I don't like it here. Not so much.
First thing I noticed, crawling outta a nasty dumpster, was how hot it is. Scorching, stifling, the bottom of the Grand Canyon in June at Noon would be mild. So I fashioned myself a makeshift hat from 7 year-old tortilla boxes, and went a ' sauntering.
Please try to stay with me here, folks, as I'm still trying to cognate the sheer shock of this world. Okay, well, it's real damn hot. Next thing I noticed about Downtown Flagstaff in 2013 is, there is no pavement. That's right!- No concrete or asphalt- just grass. Downtown is a big field of grass!!! So, thusly, I have yet to observe a motorized vehicle in this time. The buldings are much the same, but with no windows, and they all have these very wierd reflective panels on the rooves. Grass and mirrors everywhere. Silence. Except for gusts of wind, so violent and terrible, don't really want to tell ya'll about it.
The sky is no longer blue. More like a puddle of moldy Heineken.
The windstorms of the future are so intense, that if you go outside during one, you die. They are a lot like our contemporary late summer rains(long gone), accompanied by thunder and lightning so daunting, even Nicolai Tesla would run for cover. The weather is so bad, only very skillfully engineered trees can live in this world. Sort of bonsai-like. No more pines. Plenty of grass.
So I'm standing there in the lush grass- what used to be a parking lot, when this low, mournful siren sounds somewhere (inclement wind warning) and I experience my first Gusting- flings me like a dog toy against what used to be a restaraunt/catering business. So much for the cardboard hat! I'm like the dude in the Maxell cassette tape commercial. Can't even move.
Twas during this nearly brain-shattering trauma that I encountered my first human being of 2013. A person wearing some white, diaphanous toga-like garment, with a rope about the waist, soared into the maelstrom , grabbed me, and whisked me somewhere sheltered.
It was a woman. Young and rather pretty, despite her thorough(and I thought, almost Arabic) white raiment. My first conversation with a Flagstaff denizen of 2013 went something like this...
"Salaam Alikum, muthafucka. You look watered, praise Google, by Allahjesu."
"Thanks" I tell her, as I get my wind back, and suddenly her eyes widen with astonishment. She is staring at my crotch.
"Oh my Allahjesu! You are a man!
Yep.
But men do not exist anymore! You are the first I've seen in five years! " About now I notice she's actually quite hot, despite the unusual purple/silver eyes, there's a glint of intellegence in them, curiosity in the way she cocks her head of auburn tresses , mellifluousness and poise in her voice. "My name is Zymurgian", I offer. She wears some kind of i pod-ish thing on a hemp necklace. She clutches it, clearly nervous.
"I am Jenisalomefer, of the 19th gigawater clan. We gotta get the fuck outta here now, amigo. The Water-Plunder-Hordes always follow the Gustings. " With that, she starts pressing buttons on whatever that i pod thing is , and suddenly we're somewhere else.
(To be continued. Really)

'

BOCA RATON - Retired Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, speaking at a Futures Industry Association annual conference here on Thursday, said the problems of the subprime mortgage market had more to do with home prices than easy credit.

"If we could wave a wand and housing prices go up 10 percent, the subprime mortgage problem would disappear," he said.

Well yeah, Al, and if I could wave a magic wand at my prick, I'd be one of the busiest, most-sought-after porn stars in the industry today. But wishes don't change reality.

Alan, you're just trying to salvage your reputation, which is going to drop down the toilet as the housing industry tanks, taking along construction, various other amounts of businesses that have grown to support the housing boom, and, if we're lucky, will just stop there. As it is, more and more economists are beginning to admit that we're going to have a recession; the only difference of opinion is whether said recession will be soft and short or longer and harsher. FWIW, as a pragmatic sort, I'm guessing it'll probably be extraordinarily harsh.

It's this kind of foolish optimism that got us where we are now; Greenspan encouraged these shitty loan practices during the whole of his last six years, in order to help ameliorate a ravaged dot-com tech-bubble burst and as a way to pull the economy along.

Now, I rent, but have owned and would contemplate buying here if I even ever thought I could afford a home here (the answer is no, unless my mother dies and leaves me piles of cash). Granted, I might just possibly be able to afford if I was willing to move somewhere more affordable, commute 50 miles round trip daily, and other sorts of things that I'm unwilling to do. I like walking to work, or riding my bike. I like that I can (realistically) get everywhere I want to go on foot (or by bike) in 5-10 minutes max. And, I especially like the savings in gas prices.

But, just like many places around the country, around here median annual income here is $54,200 and median house price is $315,750. Not good odds, and soon to get worse for many, many current home buyers and wanna-be home buyers.

I'm not looking forward to this coming recession. I think it will hurt many, many more people than it should (myself and my friends included), through higher prices for everything, and, as of today, with the OPEC ministers meeting turning out just so-so, it looks like gas will spiral again to $3 by late April/early May.

I don't look forward to $2.50 heads of lettuce.

teddybear reveries...

They say, as a result of global warming, that in like 20 years, polar bears will only exist in zoos.
Thank God! Do you have any idea what a polar bear would do to you? You thoroughly piss yer pants while he charges. Then, he flays yer face into a pulp with one casual swipe of his massive, razor-sharp claws, glinting blindingly in the arctic glare. Next, that cuddly polar bear is going to pin you down with his thousand lbs of primordial girth, and relieve you of yer jugular vein, with his impressive fangs. Ursus maritimus may even take his time devouring you, as you lay twitching, screaming , alone, hapless, on an ice floe, - you are probably a more satisfying kill than a polar bear's typical diet of seals.
So when polar bears finally, inevitably, become extinct, (because you just had to drive yer car today) we can all safely venture to the Arctic, and saunter about, with no fear of predation. Isn't global warming awesome?!

what's for lunch?

What I do for "frogskin"- an Iroquois term for money (yeah- i know i've brought this up before, just such a great term) is prepare food for people too frackin lazy or stupid to make their own lunch. I am not a souschef, nor still of shortorder rank. I consider myself, simply, a "culinarian" with my frogskin endeavors these days.
I have also been a trapeeze artist, squirrel groomer, Melville scholar, whalebone corset inspector, (dear reader you are now obliged to take another sip of your glass of madeira on that segueway) manufacturer of anti-war blimp detonators, connoiseur of rare Englebert Humperdinck recordings, Sasquatch tracker, and I once managed a lint factory, before that gig where i recycled Las Vegas plastic visor hats into park benches. Lo!- the list goes on and on, friend.
Today's special, at the ole' mall kiosk, of which i am Vice-CEO, was a dead rat in a tortilla, with bernaise, pomegranate coulis and thrice-wilted radiccio. Sold so well i could hardly keep up with the demand! I got personal complements from my patrons, like, "I didn't know a rat burro could be so darn delectable!"
Ha!Ha! Avast! Our political watchdog is away on a river trip. Someone's gotta push this wheelbarrow while he's gone, and I, folks, am a little cracked.

maestro wit

Richard Thompson, one of my favorite musicians, had this to say, tuning his guitar between songs, during an awe-inspiring performance I attended last week-

"What is the difference between Heaven and Hell? Well, in Heaven, the English greet you, the French cook, the Italians are the entertainers, and the Germans organize everything. In Hell... The French greet you, the English cook, Italians organize everything, and the Germans entertain. "

Four Years

Four years ago, Shrub decided to play shock and awe on Iraq. I was safely hidden on a boat on the San Juan river, unable to watch the news. Today, as I prepare to return to the river, I'm still pretty much unable to watch the news. My anger is barely under control, but I have no outlet. The war goes on, the blood is real.

So I'll go hide in the wilderness. See y'all in six days.

I'm a lucky man

I got invited to go boating on the San Juan for the next six days. Hope that Zymurgian and Sweaterman will keep some posts up. See Y'all next week.

back to leave

Nice trip on the Salt River. Here's some pics:

Now I have to get ready for a real trip. I'll explain later.

The right thing to do

I'm waiting to leave, and reading the news. This caught my eye:

Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson, poised to sign a bill making New Mexico the 12th state to legalize medical marijuana, said Thursday that he realizes his action could become an issue in the presidential race.

"So what if it's risky? It's the right thing to do," said Richardson, one of the candidates in the crowded 2008 field.

http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/58689.html

While the issue of recreational marijuana can be debated, the issue of medical marijuana is crystal clear. It works. It alleviates pain and suffering for many people. Denying those people relief is cruel and inhumane. Mr. Richardson, well done.

Day Tripper, yeah...

I'm going on a day trip down the Salt River today. Hope to take new pics.

It's Friday, still not a cat

It's Atrocia:



Isn't she cute?

Valerie Plame Wilson

Wow. Just wow. I've been watching Ms. Wilson's testimony before congress (yes, I do turn my TV on once in a while). Powerful stuff. This should put to end the right wing talking point of "she wasn't really undercover".
Transcript here:http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/16/plame.statement/index.html

"My name and identity were carelessly and recklessly abused by senior government officials in both the White House and the State Department.

All of them understood that I worked for the CIA and, having signed oaths to protect national security secrets, they should have been diligent in protecting me and every CIA officer."

When I first read Novak's column revealing her identity, I told Sweaterman I thought this was the crime that could nail Shrub. You don't blow the cover of your agents-it can get people killed, and destroy your intelligence capacity. Now it's clear that this is what happened.

"The harm that is done when a CIA cover is blown is grave but I can't provide details beyond that in this public hearing.

But the concept is obvious. Not only have breaches of national security endangered CIA officers, it has jeopardized and even destroyed entire networks of foreign agents who, in turn, risk their own lives and those of their families to provide the United States with needed intelligence.

Lives are literally at stake. Every single one of my former CIA colleagues, from my fellow covert officers to analysts to technical operations officers to even the secretaries, understand the vulnerabilities of our officers and recognize that the travesty of what happened to me could happen to them.

We in the CIA always know that we might be exposed and threatened by foreign enemies.

It was a terrible irony that administration officials were the ones who
destroyed my cover."

added: video here: http://www.politicstv.com/

Rumors

While I'm not sure how credible this is, Wayne Madson has been reporting for a long time. There have been a lot of murmurs about Shrub being back on the bottle, and who could blame him. His actions certainly make me want a drink.

March 13, 2007 --Our White House Press Corps sources report further disturbing news about President George W. Bush. Our sources have witnessed a clearly inebriated Bush approaching members of the press corps and making rude comments, including one particularly crude remark about First Lady Laura Bush. In that case, Bush, nodding toward Laura, called her a "c**t." While Bush's drinking is no secret to the White House press contingent, that particular comment was reportedly the worst they have heard uttered by Bush. Our sources also report that Laura Bush's stays at the White House are less frequent and that her overnight trips to the Mayflower Hotel often coincide with the president's drunken binges.http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

While I realize that this is shameful gossip, after six years of disastrous corruption I'm willing to engage in as much mud slinging as it takes.

Martian Ice

Cool.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070315/ts_nm/mars_water_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A spacecraft orbiting Mars has scanned huge deposits of water ice at its south pole so plentiful they would blanket the planet in 36 feet of water if they were liquid, scientists said on Thursday.

pic time

Zymurgian's sister sent me a bunch of pictures from her all to brief visit here. I'm too lazy to post all of them, but here are a few:

Yeah, there is a reason why I live here.

An honest republican

At last, I think I've found a republican presidential candidate who truly represents the values of the party. I give you: Jonathon the Impaler http://www.theimpalerforpresident2008.us/Campaign_Page.html:

As an Ordained Satanic Dark Priest, Jonathon is allowed to perform marriages. He will not only allow Same-Sex Marriages, but will perform them at least once, if not twice a month at The White House.

Jonathon is also appalled by the statements made by Venezuela President Chavez while at the UN. Jonathon feels Chavez insulted Lucifer by saying Bush was the Devil.

While I would never vote for a repub for president, it's nice to see an honest one.

Spineless, and built to stay that way

Sometimes the Democrats seem to be trying to do their best to lose. With the dismal failure that has been "our Shrub", a Democratic victory should be inevitable. But once again, candidates show the ability to waffle wimpily away from success.
The latest example: Both Hillary and Barack fail to take a stand when asked "Is homosexuality immoral?".
This is an easy question to answer, "yes" or "no", but waffling non-answers only make you look phony. A religious moralist can say "All sex outside of marriage is immoral". A liberal can say "Any sex between consenting adults shouldn't be judged by others". But trying to pander to all by not taking a stand looks really weak. (By the way, I'm a liberal).
The candidates need to face the fact that the right wing WILL attack them no matter what they say, so they might as well say something with substance. It at least proves that you stand for something, and it's easier to defend substance that hot air.
For the record, I wish Hillary and Barack had stood up for gay rights, and challenged the whole question as being discriminatory. We should stand, loud and proud, for "Human Rights". The right has been using homophobia as a weapon for years. It's time to disarm them.
Added: As always, someone else says it better that I do. This time it's RS Janes at Grouchy's place http://www.liberaltopia.org/:

– Is homosexuality immoral? Hillary Clinton dithered over an answer, finally telling ABC it was for someone else to conclude whether homosexuality is immoral. WTF?! Dems, how about this for an answer: In a free country, it’s not the business of a politician nor the government to make judgments about what consenting adults do in the bedroom — PERIOD. It is also not the business of the military to examine the sex lives of its personnel unless it is affecting their conduct while on duty. If you personally have a problem with someone else’s sexual preference, perhaps you need professional help because it’s your problem, not theirs.

Update: Hillary has "clarified":" I should have echoed my colleague Senator John Warner's statement forcefully stating that homosexuality is not immoral because that is what I believe."
Update 2: Barack now makes this statement: "As the New York Times reported today, I do not agree with General Pace that homosexuality is immoral. Attempts to divide people like this have consumed too much of our politics over the past six years."

Dagnabit, they're trying to make my blog irrelevant. But wait, if I put up a post bitching about something, and the candidates comply within hours...hmmm, I'll have to think about what I bitch about next.

Proof of Global Warming

Been meaning to post this for weeks. Seen somewhere on the intertubes:

boat pic

I think I'm suffering from outrage fatigue. Hopefully, a boat pic will cheer me up.

From last springs canyon trip. Unfortunately, this springs trip is over a month away. I'm ready to leave yesterday.

Attorney firing has a local angle

I haven't posted much on the US Attorney firing because I didn't have anything to add to the discussion (go to Josh Marshall, http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/, for the full story). But I did notice one little local touch.

At least two of the U.S. attorneys who were later forced to step down, Iglesias in New Mexico and Paul Charlton of Arizona, were on Sampson's "retain" list in February 2005.

But by September of 2006 - after it became clear that Charlton had launched an investigation of Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz, - Sampson included the Arizona prosecutor on another list of U.S. attorneys "we now should consider pushing out."

Yeah, the Attorney investigating our own congressional sleazeball, Rick Renzi, was one of the fired. Just before the last election, Mr. Renzi's land deals with contributors were the focus of a corruption probe (http://indianz.com/News/2006/016565.asp).

The probe centers on a complaint that Renzi pressured landowners to buy a
480-acre parcel owned by his former business partner. James Sandlin, the former
partner, ended up making $3 million in the deal.

Authorities want to know whether Sandlin's political contributions were behind Renzi's involvement. The $3 million deal came just days after Renzi introduced legislation that included Sandlin's property.

Now I know why nothing ever came of the investigation. Scumbags.

Aging

So, my old baseball buddy and high school nemesis, Ricky Henderson may retire. Mr. Henderson and I were born on the exact same day, and played baseball against each other in high school. He was somewhat better at it than I.

Henderson told reporters that he intends to officially announce his retirement this summer, unless, of course, a team says, "Hey, let me see, can you go out there and play?," in which case he'll return to action.

Sub prime loans

Lots of rumblings on the housing market and the fall of sub prime lenders over with our pal and early supporter, Monkeyfister. I don't have any real stake in this issue-I rent, and my main investment plans revolve on the question of 6 or 12 pack-but I see a lot of the same economic danger signals.
http://monkeyfister.blogspot.com/

Remember folks-- As Housing fails, so too do the secondary and tertiary supporting sectors, such as Construction, Durable Goods, Lumber and Manufacturing, and Shipping/Transportation. This implosion is a massive suckhole on or economy. This will not end on a happy note.

that is all for tonight.

Scandal Pool

There are so many scandals going on currently that you have to wonder if the dam will finally burst. Will any of them turn big enough, or will the cumulative effect, be enough to take the administration down?
I'm proposing a little pool where we speculate what scandal will inspire the greatest public outrage, and whether any or all will lead to the administrations removal.
Here's a partial list of recent scandals in no particular order:
1) The treatment of wounded veterans, http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/03/06/congress.reed.ap/index.html
2) The justice department political firings,
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/politics/16884128.htm
3) The FBI's illegal use of national security letters,
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-03-08-patriot-act_N.htm
4) The Libby conviction, and the congressional hearings to come (just read Firedoglake),
http://firedoglake.com/
5) Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, and maybe Iran (way too many possible links to bother with...just read the daily news)
These are just the first few that pop into my mind. Please feel free to throw in any additional scandals (hell, this whole administration is a scandal) that you think may gain traction.
Will any or all of these be enough?

(cartoon stolen from Blah3, http://www.blah3.com/index.php)