News – Regan, Regan, Regan

US

In case you’ve been living on a cave in Pluto with your fingers stuck in your ears, Regan passed away on Saturday. There will be a week of public events for his memorial and the TV screen will likely be filled with things about him for about the same amount of time. Kerry is suspending his campaigning during said time as well. Wanna read more about Regan. Click it here, here, here, here and here as well as here for a bit not so glowing. Last note: Friday’s a federal holiday by decree for Regan’s service.

What do I have to say about Regan? Not very much. I don’t know a lot about his policies or his time in office. I’ve listened to the for and against levy their opinions. Some praising him, some quite glad he’s finally passed. Some very few who aren’t, as they wanted him to suffer longer. I’m neither glad not sad that he’s dead. His time came and passed, as it will for all humans. He’s left his legacy for good or ill and I’ll let the historians argue about it. For me, my focus is the present and the future.

I just hope they don’t cancel shows I like this week for more Regan stuff on TV.

Many remain highly critical about how the Bush administration pursues it’s war on terror at home. Padila has been held for two years without a whit of due process. His rights as an American citizen have been violated, despite what crime he may or may not have perpetrated. If the US has evidence against him, let them charge him.

Grassroots resistance to the Patriot Act is rising.

Whopper: George W. Bush: Bush tries to distance himself from Chalabi, but regrets to remember prior remarks that make it quite obvious he’s familiar with the man.

Iraq

Four drafts in two weeks for the new resolution on Iraq. It seems largely pleasing to all parties, though France still wants to require explicit Iraqi consent for any major military offensive by the US-led forces.

Though since it’s impossible that Iraq will be getting full sovereignty, what good will it do the powers that be to keep up the use of the term? Iraq won’t be fully Sovereign until US forces have left the country.

An arms dump kept by Sadr’s militia blew Monday. US forces say they weren’t operating anywhere in the area at the time.

US and Mahdi Army forces leave Najaf, the US ceases calls for Sadr’s arrest and the violence continues elsewhere. But at least in Najaf the forces out on the street are only Iraqi police.

Kurd Sellout Watch Day 459: The Kurds have laid down an ultimatum. If they are not granted the rights they’ve enjoyed since March under the Governing Council’s Transitional Administrative Law, they will, in effect, secede from Iraq.

American entrepreneurs can make it big in Iraq, but the risks are always there.

One more casualty raises the in action number of deaths to 604.

Israel/Palestine

Sharon’s plan gets the votes needed, but only after being watered down to the settlement evacuation starting in nine months and the evacuation being divided into four phases, each requiring a new vote. There remain strong words and feelings both for and against the plan, which has set up quite a divide between factions in the Israeli government.

Egypt and Israel are noted as close to a deal that would allow more Egyptian troops to move into the border area to combat smugglers. Due to their peace treaty, such matters are handled carefully.

Prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti gets five live sentences and forty years for organizing killings, a botched suicide bombing, and membership of a “terrorist” group.

Afghanistan

A young boy tells of his kidnapping ordeal in what seems part of an illegal and quite gruesome trade in organs and extortion.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi forces are hunting for the gunmen who shot and killed a BBC cameraman and seriously wounded a reporter in Riyadh.

Korea

The US plans to cut it’s troops in Korea by a third towards the end of next year. It’s said to be part of a worldwide shift in using higher technology for defense.

General

Today’s Papers has the Kurd issue with them on the opposite side of the issue than Sistani, Sistani meeting with Sadr to perhaps try and draw him into the political process, Fallujah turning into something like ‘Taliban-country’ and more.

Annoying flashing LED lights on cellphones about to get even more annoying Like we don’t have enough to annoy us about these damn phones with the noise they make. Now they can flash even more lights than with those idiotic blinking additions sold in the malls.

Amusements

The secret tricks job interviewers use to judge your personality are revealed: purposely spilling things on you, calling your house and pretending to be a telemarketer, and more

Woman attempts to rob bank with empty shoebox

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