News – Hurricane Havoc

We might have it soon. Batten down the hatches.

US

Hurricane Isabel is headed our way. Looks like it’ll probably come aground around North Carolina. Up here in VA, we’ve got a state of emergency called. I’ve got some food and some water down here, so I’m good for a few days of chaos should things get nasty and my bat cave is partially underground, so I’m safe. 😉

John Edwards is officially on the road toward the White House, promising to be a “champion for regular people” and break down barriers to opportunity for all Americans..

Bush talks up his Environmental Policy Changes and says they’re working. Personally, I don’t see how allowing plants to upgrade freely, despite any increase in pollution will help the environment. Of course, our standards when it comes to ‘working’ are different.

John Kerry has laid out his pan for Iraq. An interesting bit of it noted in the article. Rand Beers, a veteran Washington hand and a top counterterrorism adviser in the Bush White House who quit earlier this year over the administration’s handling of the war on terrorism and homeland security, helped Kerry craft his plan.

Democrats think Republicans do a lot of dirty dealing. They’re likely right, but the street runs both ways, neither party is perfectly innocent.

Bush learned from Enron. When you need to balance the books, slip the big bills off record.

Has the Atkins diet changed the US economy? Is it responsible for shifts in American consumption?

The Flip Flops of Dick Gephardt: As a younger congressman, he was pro-life, but has changed his mind since then, as he’s come to see more of the wide debate, now erring toward the side of choice. He’s also flipped toward and away from greater defense production, though he has never advocated cutting defense spending. He didn’t support the 1991 Gulf war, but did support this one.

Iraq

US forces conducting aggressive raids in Tikrit, with gate blowing and door kicking, are not winning hearts and minds. Accusations fly and resentment rises.

South Korea is carefully mulling whether to answer the US requests for International aid. It isn’t easy when you want to be a good ally and avoid a backlash at home. And what of North Korea? South Korea has its own problems and needs its buffer of safety, real or merely emotional, against its crazy neighbor.

A draft on the Iraq WMD thing notes minimal proof of any stockpiles of weapons. Some have called the ABC report mere speculation, though. So I suppose we’ll see when the real deal comes out, but I’m not holding my breath.

Khaldiya’s police chief was killed in a roadside ambush in Iraq. Khaldiya is a town in the termed ‘Sunni triangle’, the most dangerous area of the country.

Patriarch Raphael I Bidawid was spiritual leader of the Chaldean Catholics, the largest Christian group in Iraq. His exploits living in that country and protecting his faith are interesting. His beliefs were also quite radical, obviously not those well liked by the west. Many of them annoy me.

Israel/Palestine

A UN resolution has been put forth by Arab nations against any deportation or killing of the Palestinian President. The US has threatened a veto as they don’t like the lean of it against Israel and the lack of condemnation of terrorism in it. There have been some changes to be more accommodating, but the drafters have said they will compromise no more and some are doubting it will be enough.

The Bush administration has finally resolved to start taking back some of the lone guarantees for Israel, in concern over their settlement activities. They haven’t decided yet, however, if they want to do the same for the fence. It’s a start.

An interesting array of world opinions on Arafat and assassinations.

UK

Two peace activist, Margaret Jones and Paul Milling, are going to court in the UK, in a bid to have the war in Iraq declared illegal. In part to bolster them against their own criminal charges for attempts to keep B-52s from taking off during the war. This brings up some interesting questions. If they do manage to win this case, what will that mean for the US? Will it matter beyond the borders of the UK?

General

Today’s Papers has the decision by a federal appeals court to postpone the recall election because of those punch card ballots. Various tibits and views on that are presented. Some are amusingly droll. It ends off, after a few other articles, with a nice ribbing of Cheney and his vast claims of new links between Iraq and AlQeuda. You can learn a lot in those undisclosed locations.

International Papers looks at the breakdown of the Cancun WTO talks. Was the outcome of the poor nations resisting the rich a good or bad thing? Opinions are mixed.

Slate on NPR’s Day to Day: Musing on the unwillingness of politicians to apologize and a look at the latest democratic political moves.

Amusements

Ariel, you’re ruining our conspiracy!

Well, he does say its ok

Sooty gets busy

Burger Bike