News – After the Battle

Middle East

Dispatches, a look into Falluja after the offensive. Personally, I’d like to see some before and after pics.

The US expects Europe to ante up more in Iraq during the next NATO meeting. I continue to maintain that such expectations are unrealistic, considering the prior standoffish stance taken before by the US and the, as we can see, expectant, then disappointed when their expectations aren’t met, stance that they take now. The US acts as if this is an obligation by all others to help out when really, it isn’t. When someone screws up something, it doesn’t behoove their neighbors to automatically help in bailing them out. Mind you, I do see that it is, ultimately, in their best interests to do so by and large, but they can decide what to do or not do about their own best interests.

Rummy fields open criticism from a US soldier in a Town Hall style meeting. Quote: “A lot of us are getting ready to move north (into Iraq) relatively soon. Our vehicles are not armored. We’re digging pieces of rusted scrap metal and compromised ballistic glass that’s already been shot up, dropped, busted — picking the best out of this scrap to put on our vehicles to take into combat. We do not have proper armament vehicles to carry with us north.” In response, Rummy said, “As you know, you go to war with the Army you have, not the Army you might want or wish to have at a later time. If you think about it, you can have all the armor in the world on a tank and a tank can be blown up. And you can have an up-armored Humvee and it can be blown up,” What a morale booster, can you see the real reason this man has survived?. I’m sure the soldier was asking about armor for his safety, not that of the vehicle. But then, the administration has never really cared about the people. It’s no big thing to plan a few troop meetings now and then to betray the appearance of caring, even if that care isn’t really there.

Sharon points out to his Lukid party to vote for the governing alliance with the Labor party, otherwise they’ll have to have snap elections and his Gaza withdrawal plan will be derailed! I’m sure Lukid will keep that last bit in mind when they vote.

Jamal Abu Samhadana, head of the Popular Resistance Committees, was wounded in an Israeli missile attack on his car in Gaza. Israel promised to keep out of Gaza as long as calm remained, but reserved the right to go after it’s so called “ticking bombs.” Well, if he wasn’t ticking before, he and his group are now.

It appears that prisoner abuse has continued even after Abu Ghraib. I can’t say I’m surprised at the possibility.

Japanese troops will remain in Iraq another year, despise the people of Japan wanting their troops home.

Africa

Even a year after the five year Congo War, it’s repercussions, such as destroyed healthcare system, continues to kill 1,000 people a day according to the International Rescue Committee.

North America

Blair is trying to involve Bush in a new pact on global warming since Bush hates Kyoto. Good luck Tony. I think Bush hates the environment too, especially when it gets in the way of his oil searching and big business. And any attempt to curb pollution invariably effects one or the other.

Bush keeps John Snow on as Treasury Secretary, ending fierce speculation over his position. THat would bolster his credibility with some</A..

California’s attorney general is going to fight a new US rule that can deny federal funds to states that provide abortions. The law denies funding to those states who take action against hospitals that don’t wish to offer abortion services.

Stuck in the middle of this week’s $388 billion spending bill is a rule that could put a privacy office in every government agency, no matter it’s function. What if the agency has no effect on privacy? That’s wasted money.

General

UNICEF says political leaders across the planet are failing the children. That, although it’s dropped by a fifth, t he child mortality rate is still too high due to factors such as grinding poverty, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and widespread civil wars — all either caused or neglected by national leaders. True enough. If he had some good leaders in certain places, things like this could be stopped.

The cost of war is changed by modern battlefield medicine that allows soldiers to survive injuries they couldn’t before. That is obvious in modern protection as well. Fewer US soldiers are dying, but so many are coming back crippled because their vests protect their vitals while leaving their extremities without the same.

Impotent? Maybe your laptop is a reason why. You’ve got to keep your boys from overheating.

Research suggests that people who are left handed have an edge in hand to hand combat. So check to see if you’re up against a lefty before your next fight. 😉

Michael Crichton, Earth’s novelist of doom.

Slate’s Fray brawls over the secularization of Xmas.

Todays Papers has Allawi suggesting the vote be held over weeks rather than a day(that would be a security nightmare), Iraqi insurgents doing their badness thang, details that Snow wasn’t the first choice for his own position and more in the one page news.

Amusements

State and federal agriculture officials to use satellite surveillance on Brazil’s citrus crop in attempt to gain competitive advantage

Santa brings bags of marijuana to school children

Lottery winner turns to crime after depleting his winnings

Collection of weird fortune-cookie fortunes. That wasn’t chicken

Shoplifter stuffs four lamb joints, three chickens, stock cubes, two kilos of fruit, chillies, burgers, garlic, peppers, socks and a pair of underpants down her dress — then claims it is her people’s custom to take things and pay later (with pic)

Man enters bathroom fixtures store and drops two things: First his trousers, then a deuce

Neurotically Yours: Email Malady

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this pick-up artist

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this sap sip

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this cluster balloonist launching from atop a regular hot-air balloon

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We have NO business being in Irag. We’re just blasing it to bits and pieces. After this We’ll have to pay to rebuild it? This is absurd. Why do the Fundamentalists want to outlaw abortion? It is a decision a woman make herself. It is truly between her and her god. Do NOT impose your religious beliefs on ME.

December 9, 2004

Once again, in California the news reports the exact opposite of the truth. The fact is that for many years those of us who don’t want abortions legal have had to pay for them. The hospitals should have every right to federal and state funding just like any other hospital, whether they care to offer abortions or not. Why is the state of California forcing abortions on these hospitals?