News – Long Term Iraq

Middle East

Shiite leaders are demanding an autonomous region in southern Iraq. It leads one to wonder if the vision of a united Iraq is really all that feasible. Even if it is managed in the short term, once the country is on its own sentiment like this won’t just evaporate and future leaders could turn out to be less reluctant to being carving the country up. It makes me wonder what Iraqi will look like in twenty years, after(hopefully) the havoc of the occupation is done and a few political generations have passed.

Tens of thousands of Israeli rightists rally in Tel Aviv against the Gaza pullout. Sharon has expressed no regrets about the plan. One wonders if he’ll maintain that lack of regret as events fall on their own accord into place.

Fortunately, the IDF is being mentally prepared to deal with moving out their own people. This sort of training should help, even a little help could make a world of difference if it keeps one soldier from doing something improper.

Residents of Dahaniya, dubbed the ‘village of traitors’ fear what will come when Israel withdraws from Gaza, despite their maintaining they haven’t collaborated with Israel.

Israeli Sergeant Taysir Hayb has received an eight year sentence for shooting a British student in the head as he tried to protect Palestinian children. The sentence does seem lax to me, but I expect it, considering how slow Israel was to investigate the incident in the first place.

Europe

The UK bars Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed from returning to the country after going to Lebanon on holiday. The reason being, they seek to crackdown on Islamic preachers it fears inspire bombers such as those who attacked London in July. Never mind that with the Internet, agitators don’t even have to be on your continent to provoke trouble.

North America

John Snow says that personal accounts are integral to the administrations plans to fix social security. Considering Bush himself say the accounts won’t fix social security, I’m inclined to be skeptical. One of the big bits often touted about the plan is that supposedly the money put into the plan would be untouchable by the government. I doubt the government would be able to break itself of the habit of raiding Social Security monies to pay for government programs, regardless of where it’s kept.

Liberal Christian groups criticize a planned rally this Sunday to back U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. They believe it better that conservative Christians not drag religion into the confirmation fight.

NARAL Pro-Choice America has withdrawn an anti-Roberts ad, after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter complained in a letter that it was a blatantly unfair attack on Roberts for his participation, as deputy solicitor general, in an abortion clinic case.

Looking at the rights and wrongs of Condi Rice.

General

Today’s Papers has Bush playing down talk of a troop drawn down in Iraq next year, Republican super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff’s indictment for fraud, an Iraqi internal audit concluding that as much as $1 billion appears to have been skimmed off the top from the Iraqi Defense Ministry and more in the one page news.

Amusements

Test standards lowered for firefighters in Denver to increase diversity

In order to not offend people who never existed, NCAA orders that IU’s “Fighting Illini” to change their name

TV reporter, late for his media softball game, arrives to field in channel’s helicopter. Managers not amused, and his team still lost by 20

Bad: You have to get triple bypass surgery. Worse: When you wake up, all three of your angry wives are there looking for some answers

Mayor of Akron, Ohio, docks himself a days pay for using the F-word

After bombing at box office, “The Island” now faces copyright case for stealing plot points from a 1979 British film

Self-defense instructor takes little kids to practice outside. Police send half the force to respond to possible “gang activity,” proceed to pat down five-year-old and cite students for disturbing the peace

Aural sex + podcast = podnography

Oklahoma man, angered by repeated raids of wife’s panties, sets up MacGyver-like trap, beats thief senseless. The Smoking Gun is there

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: If Fark had its own hall of fame…

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Theme: Places to skip on your next vacation

Fark Photoshop Challenge: Apply Murphy’s Law to this newly married couple