Category: News

Oil hits $40 a barrel.  “Forty-dollar oil might be here for a while,” said Bill O'Grady, analyst at A.G. Edwards. “As long as there is the possibility of a terrorist attack against Saudi oil facilities, oil will have its fear-premium.” “All you need is one person with a block of explosive in their lunchbox in… Continue reading hits

If we win the global war on terrorism, it will be through a moral victory.  How did abu Ghraib impact that war (from the perspective of those watching from the sidelines, mostly outside the US)? It demonstrated a lack of respect for Arabs, Muslims, and Iraqis. It belied the American claim it was in Iraq for the… Continue reading If we win the global war on terrorism, it will be through a moral victory.  How did abu Ghraib impact that war (from the perspective of those watching from the sidelines, mostly outside the US)?

1. It demonstrated a lack of respect for Arabs, Muslims, and Iraqis.
2. It belied the American claim it was in Iraq for the betterment of Iraq's people.
3. It demonstrated that American values — process of law and human rights — are false.

How do you recover from this? Are we even making any progress in this war? 

NOTE: Beyond the humiliation captured in the famous photos, I have read of rape (including using implements), murder, and severe beatings.  It's been implied that Rumsfeld's unreleased video/pictures depict these crimes. [John Robb's Weblog

Break out the violins. Doh!. We're functioning with peacetime constraints, with legal requirements, in a wartime situation in the Information Age, where people are running around with digital cameras and taking these unbelievable photographs and then passing them off, against the law, to the media,… Donald Rumsfeld  [The Obvious?] [Curiouser and curiouser!]

The Economist says Fire Rummy. There's no shortage of news articles about abuses of prisoners in Iraq. And now several publications, including the New York Times and The Economist are calling for the resignation of US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The Economist's op-ed, Resign, Rumsfeld has a clear premise, “Responsibility for errors and indiscipline… Continue reading The Economist says Fire Rummy

Christian Science Monitor: The accidental arbiter. An unelected official, he's in charge of regulating what people see and hear, and how. His purview ranges from new technology – using the Internet as a telephone, for example – to old debates with new heat, such as how much profanity seeps into TV programs. [Tomalak's Realm]

Scorning the Law. Anthony Lewis: A President Beyond the Law. The question tears at all of us, regardless of party or ideology: How could American men and women treat Iraqi prisoners with such cruelty — and laugh at their humiliation? We are told that there was a failure of military leadership. Officers in the field… Continue reading Scorning the Law

Taguba Report. One of the real puzzles about the behavior of US forces in Iraq is that it's historically unusual. The kind of wanton, perverse cruelty detailed by Gen. Taguba, the trigger-happy checkpoint shootings, the rumors about beating old people and kids — where does this come from? Not long ago the 800th MP Brigade… Continue reading Taguba Report

Disney Forbidding Distribution of Film That Criticizes Bush. The new documentary by Michael Moore highlights connections between President Bush and prominent Saudis. By Jim Rutenberg. [New York Times: NYT HomePage]

This op-ed piece in the Christian Science Monitor sums up my concerns about US foreign policy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Scripting News]

E-Vote Problems Overwhelm Feds. The new U.S. Election Assistance Commission says it doesn't have enough money to take care of voting-machine problems that may crop up this November. [Wired News]