News – Hypocrisy

I dislike hypocrisy. Especially public displays of it, where one party seems to forget it just recently displayed the very behavior it decries.

Here’s a footnote in the history of hypocrisy. We have U.S. national security adviser Condoleezza Rice disparaging France for holding NATO hostage and intimidating countries to not support the US. Pardon me, Miss Thang, but considering the US was intimidating and buying off supporters, I don’t see anything wrong with France fighting just as dirty as your crew was. Turnabout is fair play.

The US is pushing for sanctions to be lifted from Iraq, after lifting it’s own. They should be. The US is also pressuring for member states of the IAEA to rule Iran in violation of a nonproliferation treaty. Meanwhile Iran maintains that nuclear facilities in question are for peaceful purposes only.

IT is also said, now, that US forces have actually found one of those infamous mobile weapons laboratories. But no word on actually finding any weaponable material in it yet.

‘While some of the equipment on the trailer could have been for purposes other than biological weapons agent production, U.S. and U.K. tactical experts have concluded that the unit does not appear to perform any function beyond … the production of biological agents,’ Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Stephen Cambone said.

I’m vaguely amused to find a federal judge has decided that yes, Iraq did provide Bin Laden and alQueda support in executing the 9/11 attacks. Pardon me if I’m seriously skeptical and see this ruling as more a joke than anything else.

Speaking of the law, looks like Baghdad is having its first criminal proceeding since the fall of Saddam. A good start, but far from major steps. In further good news for Baghdad, two planes landed recently bearing medical supplies. One from UNICEF and one from the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent. Violence in Afghanistan continues to slow US efforts in the region.

Salam Pax, a blogger in Iraq, has resurfaced after loss of power sent him offline. His thoughts? ‘War sucks big time. True, true. But for now it’s done.

Some think that the economic rebuilding will be easier than the political in Iraq. Here we have seven suggestions for ways to give the Iraqi economy a good kickstart.

Bush is getting heat for his carrier landing from Democrats. Considering the carrier was in easy helicopter range, it was forced to stay out one extra day because of his visit and it will cost about a million to cover his desire to ‘share the pilots’ experience’, I’d be calling foul as well. Heck, I am. 😉

Haliburton will be getting a bigger slice of the Iraq pie through it’s subsidiary, Kellogg Brown and Root, than originally thought. I’m sure Cheney will be pleased.

Looks like an interesting compromise on the Bush tax cut is being hammered out. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it does look better, by the article. Though I’m no major in economics. Hrm.

Microsoft’s latest OS upgrade, Longhorn, will sport scads of new entertainment and media features. But with restrictive Digital Rights Management built into it, will it be friend or foe to consumers?

Could Bill Bennett Really Break Even Playing Slots? Explainer’s thoughts: As a few lucky Powerball winners can attest, nothing’s impossible when it comes to fighting astronomical odds. But it’s highly improbable—bordering on absurd—that Bennett has broken even through the years. He’s been defended by conservative pundits, which is fine, but he really can’t defend himself on this, based on his personal views without the slight air of hypocrisy.

Should psychedelic drugs be legalized? Personally, I don’t think so, but I’m something of a mental purist. If you need a psychedelic chemical to unlock your creativity and the like, then it isn’t really yours. But that’s my opinion.

Has anyone else noticed how almost no one knows anything about Bush’s cabinet? Honestly, what have these guys done to get their names remembered?

Today’s Papers has quite a good spread. One interesting bit is that Baath party members have been appointed to leading positions by the US, upsetting many Iraqis. In particular, Ali al-Janabi as Minster of health. US forces were told to take over a TV station after it broadcast an Al Jaseera program as well. Curious. And more follows, summarized there for you.

There is so much of interest in Truthout, that I decided to point you to the site, rather than pick and choose. Too much indeed.

Funny Pics!

Bush Mantra

The Empire Strieks Back

Fisher-Price Voting Device

Good advice