News – Israel’s Scrapped Plans

Iraq

Israel uncovers ditched plans to assassinate Saddam in 1992.The plan involved a specially made missile that was to be used on Saddam as he stood in a crowd of people at a relatives funeral. The plan was scrapped with an accident killed five Israeli solders. This does not really bring me to trust or like the Israeli leadership any more than I did before. It makes things worse, in fact.

During the war there were fifty ‘decapitation strikes’. The use of ‘precision guided’ bombs to kill Iraqi leadership. Not one of them took out the intended targets. They did kill dozens of innocent Iraqis, though. The comedy of errors in this is a sad one. The risks to bystanders considerable, given what is revealed here.

A detonated fuel truck kills 17 in Baghdad. It is mixed whether the truck itself was the bomb or if the bomb was on the roadside

So Saddam isn’t in Quatar as reported. He’s still in Baghdad. Not the best place to hold him, but whatever floats their boat.

Of all the strangeness.. how did a 1984 Oregon license plate get into Saddam’s garage?

Israel/Palestine

Islamic Jihad spurns the latest truce attempts from Egypt. IF no one wants peace, there’s only one way things can go. The wrong way.

Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai rejects accusations that he’s trying to muck with the political process, securing himself a strong presidency. Considering he’s limiting debate to one version of the constitution hat gives him grand powers, I think he’s full of it.

US

Ashcroft gets admonished for violating a gag order on the first terror related trial since 9/11. But the judge stopped short of actually punishing him. Which is bullshit. I guess since he sent an apology letter for his ‘inadvertent’ remarks, it’s ok.

Could Bush be for same sex unions? He did say that people should be able to make “whatever legal arrangements” they want as long as the states recognize them. He also noted that marriage should remain a state issue “except and unless judicial rulings undermine the sanctity of marriage. In which case, we may need a constitutional amendment”. Which shows he still has his hang ups on sanctity of marriage, even though he takes no other steps that would be counted among keeping it safe. Just so long as the gays don’t get hitched, I suppose.

A coalition of anti-war groups is going to meet Republican National Convention delegates with a big ole protest against US foreign policy. They plan it to be the largest ever, with hundreds of thousands in attendance. That’ll be a sight to see.

Howard Dean’s on a mission to prove he’s not soft on defense.

A federal appeals court is allowing two women to use medical marijuana. The state law in California clashes with the federal one which bans it’s use.

Poll statistics! Bush gets a 6% lift to his approval rating. Oddly, 11% of people think the war with Iraq is over. Silly people. Before his capture, less than half said ousting him was worth the cost. It rose to 2% after he was caught. Strange. And 60% think that Saddam’s capture does nothing for US security. At least they’re not all unaware. As always, polls are more for amusement than anything else.

A federal judge has tossed out a Bush proposal to allow snowmobiles in Yellowstone National park.

Movie copyright laws have foreign film buffs uncertain as to when they can buy their original films.

Agricultural biotech giant Monsanto is negotiating with a small dairy in Maine that proudly labels it’s milk hormone free. Monsanto says that the label implies that milk from untreated cows is somewhow better than link from hormone injected cows. And that’s not good for the hormone business.

If Dean loses the democratic nomination, will he quit or might he form his own third party? Interesting idea., though I don’t know..

General

Explainer notes how MIA status is changed. And musings on Saddam knowing the First Gulf war’s only MIA.

Today’s Papers has Bush dropping a plan to remove millions of acres of US wetlands from federal protection after getting 133,000 comments opposing the proposal, Italian investigators concluding that Ansar al-Islam is bringing recruits into Iraq from Europe and more.

Amusements

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Photoshop an oxymoron

Ashcroft fined $37k for campaign finance violations in his 2000 Senate campaign. You know, the one he still lost to a dead guy. 😉

Santeria voodoo powder making mess at money-laundering trial site

Plugs McGinniss