News – US Forms it’s Own UN? Not!

On the Warfront: The general row in Iraq continues, well summarized here, I would say. US forces clashed with an Iraqi force of 1,500 near Najaf. No report on casualties. Baghdad was hit today, a Muslim holy day, with what some call the heaviest bombing yet. Among the targets hit was its communications net. The Pentagon as identified eight marines who are missing after the clashes around Nassiriya last week

Some US soldiers are starting to wonder about the length of the current conflict. With the promise of a quick war evaporated, an uncomfortable reality sets in for some who are in harms way. With Bush and Blair stating firm resolve and a ‘no matter how long it takes’ attitude, there are hints it might be a while.

The UN is asking around for 2 billion in aid for humanitarian issues in Iraq. Swift, generous response is urged. Fortunately the first aid ship is finally set to dock today. it likely has already. Good news for those suffering from lack of the basic needs. With the UN close to revamping the food for oil program, we can hope that the hunger and thirst of many will soon be quelled. Asian Muslims stage a peaceful protest, which is something that US protestors could learn from. Many of those who publicly march give those who are for peace a bad rep that is not necessarily deserved.

Rummy was grilled today, along with other top Administration officials by Congress. The question? Are you guys going to come back in weeks or months with your hand out again for even more cash? It, of course, wasn’t ruled out by Rumsfeld. As might be expected, both republicans and democrats are balking at project BioShield, which is laudable, but hampered by attempts to give the government a blank check for securing against bioterrorism.

An interesting site here, that is keeping a tally of dead Iraqi civilians. Run by 16 individuals, they apparently seek to keep an accurate count by cross referencing incidents with at least two independent approved news sources. Take it as you will. They also have JavaScript counters for those who wish to insert them in their own sites.

Al-Jazeera is still being generally slammed by hackers on a more or less constant basis. One of the groups call themselves ‘The Patriots’. Lovely. And it seems secrecy has won another battle on the net, with Bush’s new executive order, reversing another Clinton era ‘relic’ which stated declassified documents cannot be reclassified. Now they can be.

New research into Gulf War Syndrome has revealed a possible vulnerability in some of our solders that could be damaging.

To round it off, Slate has the round of today’s papers and what they’re tossing out to an information hungry public. Add to that an interesting little exploration of the ‘press cycle’, steps through which the press seem to go during war time. Seems to fit well thus far.

Considering the past attack on soldiers stationed in Kuwait by one of their own, one wonders if the Military could do a better job in screening recruits. This is not to say there should be prejudice, but a good background check would do wonders to see if a potential recruit has obvious ties to the more radical elements of any world faith or ideological group.

The cusp of much international resentment toward the US can likely be explained by this simple article. To put it straight, the US has a history of caring about International law only when it suits its interests. That we do this so flagrantly makes people nervous. Especially now with the almost militant zeal toward security that 9/11 has crafted.

An author on Truthout paints a sinister theory about motivation behind current events. Right? Wrong? I dont know, but it is something to consider. It’s big, so don’t plan to just snap it up in a moment.

Lastly, a good accounting of events leading up to today, revealing in stark terms the Pandora’s Box of our foreign policy. Unless we change our ways, this will continue to happen.

Onion Zone

Point and Counterpoint on the potential results of this Iraq war. Will it Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism? Or not? And in a startling diplomatic move, the US forms its own UN.