News – Historical Difference

North America

Bloggers buzz over Dick Durbin’s comparison of actions at Guantanimo to a gulag as well as acts by Nazis. Yup, Durbin said something stupid. I think it’s been a common virus stalking through political discourse as of late. Letting oneself leap into unhelpful comparisons of current day situations to past situations with don’t fit. Someone I heard on Cspan compared the deaths of US soldiers today to those at Antietam in an effort to play down the number as less than outrageous. Regardless of the outrageousness of the current casualty figures, a comparison to Antietam is fundamentally flawed as the forces involved in that used primitive warfare and were, for the most part, evenly matched. In Iraq we have vastly superior technology and training over our foes, which make a comparison to Antietam pointless. I think all of us need to stop trying to draw our justification for our views from the past and focus on the here and now.

Ole Bill Clinton says that we need to either close or clean up Guantanimo. I agree, generally. I would have few issues with the camp if they were better at weeding out the real offenders, rather than holding those who aren’t for years before finally letting them go.

Several republican senators voice concerns about Bush’s rosy view. Including a scary pic of Mccain. Eww.

The Senate could be raising the issue of global warming and cutting emissions soon. One I know will raise more controversy, as Bush is very likely to dismiss any legislation calling on companies to cut emissions.

Seems demolishing of the settler homes in Gaza will be an Israeli/Palestinian cooperation thing. I suppose the Palestinian authority has some plan for how to use the land, which is good.

British archaeologists are training Iraqis to draw up a modern inventory of Iraq’s anchient sites and monuments in an effort to stave off looting of them.

Middle East

Iran’s electoral authorities ordered a partial recount of Iran’s election after reformists accused military organizations of rigging the vote in favor of a hardline candidate.

The anti-Syrian alliance wins control of the parliament in Lebanon’s first election in three decades without Syrian military presence.

Palestinian militants and IDF forces each kill a person from the opposing side on the eve of a Palestinian-Israeli summit. There’s a sad symmetry to it.

Condi criticizes Egypt for emergency law, arbitrary justice and violence against peaceful demonstrators and called for the country to “put its faith” in the people.

General

Is lunar colonization a key solution to our energy needs and the future of the planet? Peppering the surface of the moon with solar panels would certainly provide a lot of solar power, though it would be a fat, long term investment and those are often hard to get off the ground.

Explainer details Tygacil and what makes it so special.

Today’s Papers has the World Nettle Eating Championship, liberal and conservative groups gearing up for a Supreme Court nominee showdown, terrorists getting better at veiling their training camps and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Bush’s criticism of Iranian elections had the opposite effect he intended, and the ultra-conservative he inadvertently helped bump up in the polls has sent him a sarcastic “Thank you.”

And Yeah, verily I say unto thee, the ladies shall henceforth no longer grunt when lobbing, lest they sustain a substantial penalty

Parents solving problem of two kids fighting at birthday party by starting bloody brawl between themselves and some Good Samaritans

Art student who stole expensive sculpture from gallery is released after using the old “I was just testing security” excuse

A week before NCAA meets to discuss “inappropriate” Indian nicknames, the Seminole tribe says they have no problems with it

Two arrested for pulling the ol’ “Blindfolded teen jumps from trunk while man pays for gas” gag

Bar of soap, made from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s fat, fetches $18,000 at auction

California pizza parlor owner accused of illegally transferring $1 million to bounty hunter on rogue mission to kill Osama bin Laden. No, really

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this lime slice

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop theme: Windmills

Fark Photoshop Challenge: What would Superman be like if his spaceship crashed somewhere other than Smallville, Kansas?