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Friday, Jun 27, 2003
limited government, my ass
I opened today's WSJ editorial page expecting to see
an editorial lauding the new limits on the power of
government to criminalize the kissing of the naughty
bits. After all, what could be more intrusive than
nightly bed checks?
But then I remembered; the WSJ editorial page is being
held hostage by social conservatives who evidently are
content to have Rick Santorum inspect their genitalia
for signs of unauthorized usage.
I know these new freedoms can be confusing compared to
the safety of a nanny government. If the editorial
crew, like Mr. Santorum, have trouble telling the
difference between oral sex and bestiality, might I
suggest a remedial course in human sexuality?
je ne sais pas
I claim no special expertise in the ways of Dr. Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense. However, I've read quite a few transcripts of his interviews, and can usually understand what the man is trying to convey. And I do try to understand the context of the sound bites used in Dr. Paul's Words of Wisdom.
But I'm having serious trouble with this one. Trudy Rubin's article implies that Wolfowitz compared Iraq to post-liberation France in the context of a discussion of the emergence of a democratic state in post-invasion Iraq. But I have no way to verify this. Much of the interview with Rubin was on deep background, and she used just three short quotations. There is no transcript at DefenseLINK, despite the fact that 7 months have passed and the war is allegedly over.
The crux is that I can't conceive of any context in which this statement makes sense. If you're listening Dr. Paul, you've got to help me out here. Sacre merde, just what the hell were you talking about? The triumphant return of Charles de Gaulle? The rise of film noir? A common passion for goat cheese?
Êtes-vous un docteur des analogies d'imbeciles?
Paul Wolfowitz: Not just any optimist
Philadelphia Inquirer -- November 17, 2002
Trudy Rubin
A critique of Dr. Paul's analogy ...
Thoughtless in Time?
Foreign Policy in Focus -- February 18, 2003
By Pascale Combelles Siegel
previous in series of Dr. Paul's Words of Wisdom
Wednesday, Jun 25, 2003
Shimon Peres
Peres has a column on the opinion page of today's Wall Street Journal in which he speaks of the danger of nuclear ayatollahs in Iran. He seems to be lamenting that the US doesn't have pretext for an immediate invasion.
Shimon, you had me at "mark of Cain".
Another trainee for the Joint Taskforce for Specious Assessment and Embellishment
Wolfowitz, Democracy's Best Friend
In my efforts to find Wolfowitz transcripts from the 80's and 90's, I came across this article.
Asian Fantasies
Paul Wolfowitz's Makeover in the Times
First of the Month -- October 2002
By Tim Shorrock
During a 1983 visit to South Korea, he recalled, the Korean government jailed many dissidents, requiring Wolfowitz to become a "poor hapless administration official sent out to brief the traveling press corps on what was going on and to explain what was our human rights policy." That policy, he insisted, was to quietly advise Chun, who was later held responsible for the murders of at least 200 people during the 1980 Kwangju rebellion, to "honor the South Korean constitution and to step down after one term as president". Chun's decision in 1986 not to run again, he argued, "has indeed been far more important in resolving human rights problems in Korea than any number of lists of political prisoners that the American president might have taken to him."And the speech cited by the above article ...
That is fantasy, and an insult to the hundreds of political prisoners jailed and tortured by Chun as Reagan and Wolfowitz whispered democratic shibbeloths in his ear. Even long-time diplomats who supported the basic thrust of US policy in Korea believe that Reagan's public embrace of Chun discouraged Korean dissidents and fueled the fierce anti-American sentiment that still burns today. But more to the point, it wasn't American pleading that forced Chun out. Rather, it was millions of students, workers, and ordinary citizens pouring into the streets day after day that forced Chun to back off and eventually slink away to his family home in the mountains before he was tried and convicted in 1996 on charges of murder and treason.
Asian Democracy and American Interests
The Heritage Foundation -- September 29, 2000
by Ambassador Paul Wolfowitz
And the NY Times Magazine profile of Wolfowitz cited by the above article ...
The Sunshine Warrior
The New York Times Magazine -- September 22, 2002
By Bill Keller
And other article about Wolfowitz by Tim Shorrock ...
Paul Wolfowitz: A man to keep a close eye on
Asia Times -- March 21, 2001
By Tim Shorrock
Monday, Jun 23, 2003
Dr. Paul does not suffer fools gladly
Wolfowitz on ABC's Good Morning America, February 28, 2003
Diane Sawyer: Yesterday, you got kind of taken to the woodshed by some members of Congress who really went after you saying, you've told the president how much you expect it to cost, but you won't tell them. And --U.S. Senators Say Five Years in Iraq Likely
Wolfowitz: Well, first of all, we haven't told the president. We've told the president the very wide range of different ways of figuring out costs. As Secretary Rumsfeld said, if it lasts six days, it's one cost; if it lasts six months, it's something else. If we have to occupy Iraq for years, as some people are foolishly suggesting, it's one cost. If, in fact, as the Iraqi Americans in Dearborn are saying, we're going to be greeted as liberators, it's a very different and much lower cost. We won't really know the cost; that's an unfortunate fact.
Reuters -- June 23, 2003
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON - Leading U.S. senators from both parties said on Monday American troops could be in Iraq for at least five years but the White House cautioned it was too soon to set a time limit on U.S. involvement in Iraq.Iraq to Get New Army, Senators Warn of Long U.S. Stay
The senators, members of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee who are on a fact-finding visit to Iraq, said they expected a long-term commitment of U.S. troops and urged the White House to be more open with its plans.
"I think we're going to be here in a big way with forces and economic input for a minimum of three to five years," Sen. Joseph Biden, the committee's ranking Democrat, told reporters in Baghdad.
Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska, agreed with Biden that five years was a realistic figure as did committee chair, Republican Richard Lugar of Indiana.
"I think that the numbers, the years that Chairman Lugar has talked about, Senator Biden -- a five-year time frame -- I think that's realistic," Hagel said in an interview with U.S. network ABC's "Good Morning America" show.
Reuters -- June 23, 2003
By Alistair Lyon
Richard Lugar, a Republican, urged President Bush to do some "real truth-telling" to explain to his people how much commitment and money would be needed to rebuild the country from the ruins of war and 35 years of Baathist rule.Related story ...
War by other means: the "reconstruction" of Iraq
Daily KOS -- June 22, 2003
Sunday, Jun 22, 2003
UHF Discount
I didn't know what to think about Michael Powell for the longest time. Being in the communication industry, I would come across statements by Powell on the internet, satellite TV, cell phones, etc. He came across as a smart guy, but I couldn't tell where his interests lay.
But now all doubt is gone. Not only is he beholden to corporate interests, but he's got the shpiel down pat. In justifying the new 45% market rule for the station group owners, he spoke of competition from other media: newspapers, cable, radio, satellite. The man is smart enough to know that this is specious. The station group owners who wield the most power are those who have major holdings in the "competing" media. Further, FCC rulings over the past decade point towards consolidation of the various mass media outlets into fewer hands.
The new 45% rule allows a station group owner to have stations in markets (called DMAs) that serve 45% of the country. According to the LA Times, some group owners were already in violation of the old 35% guidelines.
A little-noted provision of the rule is that UHF stations are still counted at only 50% of the size of a DMA. Thus, a station holder with UHF-only portfolio could own local stations reaching 90% of the country.
One can only hope that the UHF discount, a relic from the early days of UHF, is overturned before the mandatory switch to digital broadcasting. A large percentage of current VHF stations have UHF carriers for their digital broadcasts. If the UHF discount is still in place when they decide which of their two carriers to keep, which one do you think they'll keep?
With a few favorable rulings, one could see a single individual running the dominant satellite TV provider, several major cable channels, a major television network, local stations serving DMAs that cover 90% of the country, additional "second tier" stations in those DMAs, major newspapers in those DMAs, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Depends on the definition of "unified".
Transcript
Ex-CIA director says administration stretched facts on Iraq
USA Today -- June 18, 2003
Turner said, "There is no question in my mind (policymakers) distorted the situation, either because they had bad intelligence or because they misinterpreted it."Intelligence Fiasco
Turner's comments come a month after a group of retired U.S. intelligence officers wrote President Bush to "express deep concern" over alleged misuse of intelligence to justify the war. [See below.]
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity via Counterpunch -- May 1, 2003
USA lied about Iraq's weapons
Aftenposten (Norway) -- March 19, 2003
Nuclear inspectors reportedly angry
CHECKING FALSE U.S. LEADS WASTED TIME, SOURCE SAYS
San Jose Mercury News -- March 18, 2003
More WMD quotes at What a tangled web we weave.
Archive of WMD stories at Trailer News
Bartcop E!
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003
What's a factor of 10 or 20 between friends?
That was April ...
NBC News' MEET THE PRESS -- April 6, 2003
GUESTS: Dr. PAUL WOLFOWITZ, Deputy Secretary of Defense; General PETER PACE, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
DR. WOLFOWITZ: Tim, the important message to Iraqis and to everybody in that region is that we do not come as a new colonial power. We do not come as an army of occupation. We come as an army of liberation. And we want to see the Iraqis running their own affairs as soon as they can.and this is June ...
MR. RUSSERT: But it is a nation of 23 million people. And if General Shinseki believes it’s going to take a force of 200,000 American troops, he should keep on saying that, shouldn’t he?
GEN. PACE: All of our leaders should give our best military advice whenever we’re asked it. But you have, for example, in Afghanistan, a country that is larger, has maybe three or four million more people than are currently in Iraq. And the U.S. coalition forces there is around 10,000. So to try to equate millions of people on the ground with how many forces are needed truly is not the right exercise. What you need to determine is what missions need to be accomplished and then how many forces do you need to do that to give the Iraqi people a chance to rebuild their own army, get their own police force up, get their own government working so we can, in fact, leave as quickly as possible.
MR. RUSSERT: But in Afghanistan, the only secure place is actually Kabul. The rest of the country is being treated in a very chaotic fashion. Are you concerned that unless we have a significantly large American presence in Iraq, we could be creating another Afghanistan, which would be a haven for terrorists to come to Iraq rather than Afghanistan to kill Americans?
Paul Wolfowitz's prepared comments, June 18, 2003, House Armed Services Committee.
We are devoting military forces and other assets commensurate with the importance of the mission and the conditions on the ground in Iraq. In some ways, winning the peace in Iraq is more challenging than winning the war; but the stakes in success are large as well.U.S. seeks peacekeeping help
We currently have approximately 146,000 U.S. military personnel operating in Iraq and additional personnel in other countries in the region (for example, the Gulf states) supporting those operations.
We are pleased that the number and capability of coalition forces pledged to contribute to the current operations in Iraq is growing.
NATIONS RECRUITED FOR TROOPS IN POSTWAR IRAQ
Knight Ridder via SJ Mercury News -- June 20, 2003
By Drew Brown
WASHINGTON - To remove Saddam Hussein from power, the United States was willing to go it alone if necessary, but now the Bush administration wants allies to help establish peace in a chaotic postwar Iraq.
U.S. officials say they are talking to more than four dozen nations about contributing to peacekeeping forces, and they ultimately hope to get three divisions, or 60,000 new soldiers, into Iraq.
Friday, Jun 20, 2003
Blogging around
While I should have been reading WMD dossiers, or mocking our government by means of jpeg and gif, I was blogging around. I found a blog that is celebrating the death of the Rosenberg's fifty years ago.
Okay, so I exaggerate sometimes. It was remarking on the fact that Soviet records made available in the 90's reveal that the Rosenbergs were in fact guilty. This "gotcha" is used in a Limbaugh-like stroke of logic to bolster the Dubya's mass deceptions.
I have another reason to celebrate June 19. Besides being Juneteenth, a Texas tradition to be proud of, it's another anniversary. I posted the following on the Rosenberg's-are-still-guilty thread.
Another anniversary ... The bus boycott of Baton Rouge LA was 50 years ago. It served as a proving ground for a method of protest that was later made famous in Montgomery AL.
McCarthy, Nixon and Hoover, the three foremost red-baiters, are remembered as twisted individuals, who may have made some positive contributions, but whose morals were fundamentally corrupted by their own inherent evil. The ancient Greeks used to call that "tragedy".
I salute the unsung patriots of Baton Rouge, who did more in one week to improve America than that trio of treachery did in three deeply flawed lifetimes.
Thursday, Jun 19, 2003
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2003
Iraq: From Fear to Freedom
The Department of State prepared a brochure to justify the invasion of Iraq. I say brochure due to the care given to the graphics, photography, typography, page design, etc. which went into it. To get the full effect of the design, see the pdf file.
The brochure contains some rather ugly scenes of war, including victims of chemical attacks. And the usual accusations of revived nuclear program, etc., etc.
Why I like blogs
I wrote a letter to my local paper last weekend. The letters editor told me it was too long, so I cut it from 400+ to just under 200. The version that ran was 138 words, including 13 that weren't mine, and had none of the supporting quotations. And I just got a phone call from a random wingnut who has access to audio clips from Full Metal Jacket.
Ah, public discourse.
Ask Dr. Paul ...
TBH Politoons is running some Free Presidential Advice toons. It got me thinking about an Ask Dr. Paul series based loosely on Dr. Laura. It might look something like this ...
Caller: "George" is just so aggressive, and always reeks of mendacity. He has all these WMDs, and keeps lying about other people's WMDs. I just don't know where to turn.
Dr. Paul: Tony, Tony, Tony! You're riding bitch on the motorcycle of life. You must sublimate your needs and desires to those of the man in your life. Don't make me drag out Leviticus on your ass.
How dignitaries visit carriers
Dr. Paul explains logic
MR. RUSSERT: But you take something like North Korea -- this is what their government said -- North Korea signaled it is learning a lesson from the war in Iraq, though not the one the Bush administration had wanted. The government's official party newspaper said Iraq's experience proves that North Korea must not submit to international nuclear inspections or agree to disarm. North Korea would have already met the same miserable fate of Iraq had it compromised and accepted the demand raised by the imperialists and its followers for nuclear inspection and disarmament. The irony that we went in to disarm Saddam Hussein and now the North Koreans are saying, "We are going to keep our nuclear bombs -- because you'll invade us if we don't."
MR. WOLFOWITZ: Well, they've obviously stood logic on its head once again. I mean, it's clear that if Saddam Hussein had accepted the conditions -- had lived up to the conditions he accepted 12 years ago -- we wouldn't be at war now. He would still -- who knows who would be in charge -- but certainly there would not be a war in Iraq, and his country and his people could have benefited from the enormous support and revenues that were available. That's the choice the North Koreans face. They can either continue taking their country further and further down this economic disaster that they have created, or the can become respectable members of the international community, live up to their obligations to give up nuclear weapons. Then they could look forward actually to a great deal of international help to rebuild and build a better country. That's not what that leadership so far seems to be focused on. But that's what they need to do.
DefenseLINK transcript
One more question: I'm having trouble with the "logic on its head" part of that response. So are you saying we'll invade and take out the leadership if they build a bomb? Have you talked this over with Japan and S. Korea?
Friday, Jun 13, 2003
Segways of Mass Destruction
The continuing saga of the
Doofus in Chief.
Big Rusty
Some of the initial trailers of mass destruction stories spoke of three trailers, but later the number dropped to two. This trailer, found north of Mosul on May 9, is the third trailer. It didn't make the cut. I like to call it Big Rusty.
The photos come from this Army Link story. The photographer made an interesting choice in lighting the subject.
Reduced scale photo. This was produced by reducing the high resolution photo to 20% of original dimensions (or 4% of original number of pixels).
Brightness turned up using LView Pro 2002 logrithmic brightness.
Detail at original high resolution with brightness turned up.
Interview of the G.W. Bush by TVP, Poland
May 29, 2003
The Nexus of Mass Destruction
June 12, 2003
Dubya thinks that a couple of hydrogen production trailers constitute banned weapons.
Trailers of Mass Destruction
News, views, obfuscation.
Balloons of Mass Destruction
Vans of Mass Destruction
linked at Bartcop E!
Monday, Jun 09, 2003
Will does Dubya
June 9, 2003
Comedian Will Ferrell addresses Class Day at Harvard
By Associated Press, 6/4/2003
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) Comedian Will Ferrell dusted off his George W. Bush impersonation for his address to graduating seniors at Harvard University on Wednesday.
Known for impersonating the president on ''Saturday Night Live,'' Ferrell pretended to read a letter from Bush to the Class of 2003 during his Class Day speech.
''One of the challenges you will face is finding a job in our depressed economy,'' intoned Ferrell. ''In fact, the chances of finding a job are about as good as finding weapons of mass destruction in the Iraqi desert slim and none, and slim just left the building.''
Update: For those of you finding this post via google, etc., the latest "Will does Dubya" video can be found at White House West. Y'all come on back soon.
Balloons of Mass Destruction
June 9, 2003
| Amid reports that the probable trailers of mass destruction may in fact be hydrogen production facilities, a new leak has emerged from the Joint Taskforce for Specious Assessment and Embellishment (JTSAE). This PowerPoint of Death details the cruel plot in which these adorable rodents are used as vectors of the deadly monkey pox virus. |
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