News – Nothing New at the UN

UN

The goal is the same. Power to the Iraqis. But how to do it remains the differences between UN members. Members are wary still of the US being in control of Iraq and criticism for Bush’s preemption remains, despite his unapologetic demeanor. As always, Iraqis remain skeptical.

Another view of Bush’s Speech. Or egg laying, as it is termed here.

Of course, reform talk has yet to result in action.

Iraq

Another bomb in Iraq. One Iraqi dead, 22 injured.

Edward Kennedy’s words on the Iraq war have got the Senators clawing at each other’s eyes again. The flat point is that the war was a fraud, but right now we have to fix the damn thing because it can’t be undone. We need Bush to show he has a plan for our money and isn’t just throwing it at Iraq in a futile attempt to stabilize the country.

Another tale from Iraq. Truth or fiction? Who has the real answers? I don’t know, but I don’t dismiss this story, save for a few details.

Al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya have been banned for broadcasting ‘poison’..

Want to get started in Iraqi privatization? Just contact Salem Chalabi’s new Iraqi International Law Group . Yes, he is related to Ahmed Chalabi. It smells bad.

Israel/Palestine

An armed Palestinian youth was killed by a tank shell during an Israeli raid on the Rafah refugee camp, only hours after Bush’s speech condemning Arafat. 11 others were wounded, including other gunmen who fired at the raiders.

I continue to find it amusing that Bush continues to ignore Sharon’s hand in destroying the peace attempt. I suppose if you fight terrorism, even if it is by any means necessary, you’re alright by Bush.

Afghanistan

Taliban leaders have secretly met with Mullah Mohammad Omar, their leader, last week. They’re stepping up attacks. Joy.

Yemen

To stave off US pressure, 200 are held without trial in Yemen. Either that or face the threat of US military action.

US

The Flip Flops of George W Bush: The March declaration that he’d call for a UN vote no matter what evaporated when Bush realized that losing was a certainty. Secondly, there is his flip on free trade, when a complex set of tariffs were set on steel in a bid to protect the industry.

A US airman is being charged with espionage, while serving as an interpreter at Guantanimo. The claim is that he had many notes from the detainees being held on a laptop, to be sent out.

Remember JetBlue’s badness in the last issue? Well, fliers are hitting them with a class action lawsuit for passing their personal info along to the defense contractors. EPIC has also filed a complaint with the FTC.

Wesley Clark is just like John Kerry, only better and stronger. Not just in general layout, but in taking some of the same messages as Kerry. Quite an insult that he can explode onto the scene and become a front runner just like that.

Chatterbox outlines the reasons why he believes that there is a strong desire for a Hillary Clinton run for the presidency. IT isn’t because they want her to win, quite the contrary.

General

The spammers and sex predators have brought Microsoft to its knees! Well, in the chat world anyway. They’re closing off their MSN forums in several countries because of the influx in the above in their unmoderated forums. All I can say is.. duh! Give no supervision and you get people going wild. 😉 The amusing thing is they likely have enough cash to provide moderators for those chat spaces. Freeserve is bashing them for masking a commercial decision as a concern for child welfare.

Bush’s hardline on abortion and money for foreign healthcare has left many without health care at all, according to a study. The ones that made the study are likely biased, but still Bush’s position is(I admit, sarcastically) if you think about abortion you don’t get any cash from the US. Far too strict in my opinion.

Microsoft is teaming up with Toronto police to make software that will let police quickly catalogue files on the captured computers of Internet pedophiles. Not only that, but it will help them use the information on captured computers to trace their actions on newsgroups to find who they talk to and other pertinent information. Sounds like it might be a good tool. Not too much in the way of privacy violations as far as I can tell.

Day to Day: Talka bout Bush’s trip to the UN, what makes a candidate’s run for office official and the decision of the 9th circuit court on the California recall.

Explainer explains what a ‘stalking horse’ is.

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