News – Planless, We Forge Ahead

A little note at the front. Interesting sight for the second day in a row. A local lady in our area apparently bought one of those Sequay scooters and she’s been taking it to work. She’s passed by where I wait for the bus for the second day. It’s an interesting little device, but not one I’d plunk down 3k for. I’d rather by a new computer. 😉

Graner tours the north while Shi’ites finish their pilgrimage. As I read this, noting the brewing sentiment in this mass religious gathering and the fact that while this is happening, Garner is up north in more friendly Kurdish areas, I have to wonder if he’s hiding. I know, that’s mere guesswork, but I find it disconcerting he’s up there while things are getting hot elsewhere. The French are, apparently, urging sanctions be lifted too, but I don’t think the UN will give up its only current card to play against the US just yet.

Interesting quote from the very top article: The Washington Post on Wednesday quoted Bush administration officials as saying they had focused so much on ousting Saddam that they had not given much thought to how the ensuing power vacuum would be filled. Not that I didn’t already guess that the administration rushed and had no plan. It’s just good to see it in print. Now there is the possibility that US planners underestimated the rise of the Shi’ite majority into a reasonably organized power. Will Washington be able to influence Iraq away from Islamic fundamentalism? Heh, nope. Kudos on the war, my friends, but you just bit off way more than you can chew. Let Franklin go to Iraq. I don’t doubt that if he starts trying to covert, he’ll get himself strung up. I’ll admit it myself, I never expected the Shi’ite majority to explode out of the gate once the smoke cleared.

Don’t know jack about Sunni’s and Shias? The Gordian has info for you on Islam and the two religions factions.

Looks like Slate has a new ‘section’. Iraq’s Progress: The best new ideas for rebuilding a nation. Here’s the intro to it. Should be interesting. Chatterbox makes the observations of hints that the Bush Administration lacks true interest in properly rebuilding Iraq, suggesting that if they don’t really want to do it, let the UN do it. The bonuses and deniability inherent in handing it over are key for the politically minded. But stubborn pride and grudges, no doubt, will keep Bush from doing something sensible. A little ways down in Kausefiles, Micky Kaus comments on his opinion of looting and Iraqi disorder. I’m inclined to disagree with him. Iraqis are looking for the most basic of things right now. An attempt at security when there was looting, food, water and hospitals need medical supplies. That would quell most of the unrest, but it isn’t forthcoming as it would be if the US went in with a plan and all its ducks lined up in a row. Period.

Today’s Papers cover France’s position adjustment and Blix’s desire to get back to work in Iraq, endorsing working with US teams of inspectors. Notes of Iranians in Iraq, likely adding to the religious uprising, despite obvious aims of the Administration to quell fundamentalist uprising. Whatever happened to what the Iraqi people want? But even within the Shia majority, there are divisions, some not very enamored with how Iran does things. Some of Baghdad has power at least and more are covered.

Some international cola companies are making ‘protest colas’ to appeal to Muslims and the like who want to protest against America and American made exports like coca-cola.

Saddam never let anything change how he worked. Quirky and strange that way. He had his political opponents being executed up to a week before the war.

Strange. Apparently the Bush Administration wants to cease human rights monitoring by the UN in Iraq. Or perhaps not so odd. It seems that Bush is intent on abolishing every aspect of UN presence in Iraq. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were plans to pull out of it.

Youths 16 years and younger who were captured in Iraq are at Guantanamo Bay with the rest of the ‘enemy combatants’. How many of them, I wonder, will see their adulthood come and go behind bars.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has stated he thinks that Arab countries and the UN should handle rebuilding Iraq, not individual foreign powers.

Talks with N Korea on its nuke program started today. The only one’s involved are the US, N Korea and China. So in a way, it is the one on one dialogue that N Korea wanted.

Bush is still pushing for his tax cuts. Nothing new there, save for demands of no delay. After all, its as dire an emergency as Iraq was.. yeah.

An amusing bit. In an effort to curtail piracy of her new album, American Life, file sharing networks have been seeded with fake MP3s that have no music, just Madonna saying, “What the f*** do you think you’re doing?” Classic. 😉 Meanwhile Summary Judgment shows critiques of her new album along with a handful of others.

Explainer gives the low down on the social security numbering system for the US. Interesting stuff, including some conspiracy theory about the numbers.

It’s Animated!

Soldier of Misfortune

Tasteless but Satisfying Humor 😉