News – How to Measure Success?
North America
A think tank says the US government has no adequate metrics for gauging success in the war on terror. Which is true. One of the most amusing ‘metrics’ some pro war people use is to comment on how we haven’t been hit again. Glossing right over the discussion on why that might be. After all, why should they spend extra effort to come and strike here when they can kill Americans there in the big terrorist training ground called Iraq?
I wouldn’t call that success, because once US troops are out of there, the eyes turn back to the US itself. If I were in charge of a terrorist org, I’d focus on making Iraq hell while sending feints toward the US, plans that are easy for them to uncover and ‘stop’. Make them feel like they’re safe and successful, all the better to sneak in behind and smack them in the back of the head once Iraq is done with, one way or the other.
Moreover, when will we be able to gauge the true strength of the people against us? Sure, we know we kill a bunch of them, but there are always more. Leaders are killed, but the terror org continues to roll on and on. Obviously personal can be replaced, leaders can be replaced, like a hydra that regrows and regenerates from every wound inflicted. How do we gauge if we’re really doing damage? We stop terrorists funds, supposedly. Close down these suspect charities and the like, but the terror continues, as strong as ever for the most part. Are we having an effect? Can anyone prove some weakness, some show that their numbers are diminishing?
No, because no one has a freaking metric. The pro war, hardcore patriots who stand by the president no matter what and frown at dissent can do as they do, but at the end of the day, we’re left with the simple fact that this effort is half blind because of the haste of implementation and the inability of the leaders of it to gauge progress or accept that they might have to shift their path considerably to salvage matters better.
Oh well. At least they have a boss Christmas Tree.
Bush tries to balance on illegal immigration, rejecting amnesty and calling for a hardened Mexico border but also vowing the United States would remain “a welcoming society.” A bit hard to be a welcoming society with a militarized border. But at least he’s trying for once.
California Republican Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham resigns after pleading guilty to taking $2.4 million in bribes for helping defense contractors get Defense Department contracts. “I am resigning from the House of Representatives because I’ve compromised the trust of my constituents,” he says, and he wouldn’t have turned himself in if he hadn’t been caught. Don’t come to the people looking for sympathy with crying. Those who willfully let go of their sense of right and wrong will find their just end eventually. What we need to do is a good house cleaning of the House and Senate. Doesn’t matter, democrat or republican, check all of their closets for skeletons.
Here’s a grim milestone, our 1000th execution since 1976. 1000 people in 29 years. That’s pretty heavy. Has it been effective?
Middle East
Israeli solders raid unilaterally for terrorists again, getting into a clash with Palestinian police. This has to stop. Israel can no longer just bust in and raid Palestinian territory whenever they want. They need to start treating Palestine’s government like a government. Every time they raid without permission, without regard, they diminish Palestine’s government and weaken them. No wonder they can’t hold the country together. It just tells me that Israel’s leaders are either dumb and blind on diplomacy or they don’t care about peace. And that the US hasn’t laid down the line on this is another show of their shameless bias toward Israel, rather than a focus on really solving the problem in the region. Makes me sick.
Shia politicians are irate at the further delay in Saddam’s trial.
Al-Jazera consults its lawyers over a memo in which Bush allegedly suggested bombing the Arab station’s headquarters.
Europe
Condi will be running damage control on the allegations of secret CIA prisons in the region. The simple fact is, if they can’t feel trust for us on the matter, nothing Condi can say will placate them, unless she has some solid, irrefutable evidence. Personally, I don’t trust that these prisons don’t exist. I can accept easily that they might. That she didn’t really deny it in an interview in Tuesday editions of USA Today doesn’t help.
General
The young prefer illegal song swapping. Which is an obvious thing. If the music companies want to secure legal music business, they need to both lower the restrictions and offer perks to those who buy from legal services.
The Blogs look at Bush’s immigration policy, a study showing the overall economic benefit of file sharing and a harrowing video of violence against Iraqi civilians.
Explainer details activated carbon.
Today’s Papers has revised procedures for CPR, more dirt on Alito, Iraq trouble and more in the one page news.
Amusements
Cost of 12 days of Christmas went up 6.1 percent over last year, avian flu to blame
Cindy Margolis discovers the naked truth — that misspellings of her website are registered to Jenna Jameson and direct you to porn. Kittens raise alert level to orange on possibility of catfight
Miami police vow to stage “random shows of force” at banks, hotels and other public places to keep terrorists guessing, Fark well-supplied with headlines
Apparently, Russia is still a little touchy about the 1867 “I’ll giveyou $7.2 million for your backyard, dude” thing
Scientologists build huge circles in the desert, subterranean crypts holding stainless steel tablets of L Ron Hubbard’s crazy writings encased in titanium
Post-touchdown antics not tolerated in college football. Duke fans wouldn’t know, they’ve never seen their team score one
A look at “White Water,” a game for the classic Intellivision system which somehow managed to combine rafting with a madman who throws axes
Ah, the time before Christmas – when Norwegians get drunk and do stupid things they regret later
Massachusetts town removes painting of Mayflower colonists from town hall because women weren’t allowed to vote in 1620
“All I do is kidnap, shoot and sell drugs… I’m not a rapist.” Clearly this man should be set free immediately
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Columnist responds to Fark by stripping down to a bikini and daring Fark to photoshop her. Voting enabled
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop the late, great Stormy dog. It would be fantastic if she could make submitter smile or laugh one more time
Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop this Santa Claus. Difficulty: No malls or North Pole