I Need to Reconsider

My opinion of President Eisenhower. After all, he is the last United States General to actually win a war! Yes, It's been almost sixty-two years now since the USA has come up a winner. We used to think it was easy; a cinch; with God On Our Side, how could we lose? Well, since 1945 we've lost a few and we've had a couple of stalemates. Zero wins. Unless you want to count Grenada - we sure whacked that teensy island! If you're counting that as a real war, I have to think you're one of those desperate alternate reality neo-con knuckle-draggers.
Right now, it's becoming pretty clear we're managing to lose two, count 'em two wars at the same time! Is this what the DOD meant when they said they had to plan to be able to fight two wars on two fronts simultaneously?
I think the problem might have begun when we started hiring out the actual fighting. Did you hear about the problem with the weapons we sent to Iraq disappearing? Losing track of guns,... Kind of reminds me of just after WW II, when we subbed out the war against Mao and his Communist Army; we kept giving Chiang Kai-Shek more guns, and his soldiers just kept selling them to Mao's army. I guess to get enough money to go home. So much for Unleashing Chiang! Now we're doing the same thing in Iraq. Only now we have troops in the way of the bullets being fired from the guns we've supplied.
Well, anyway, I'm re-evaluating my view of Ike. As the last winning U.S. General, perhaps he was smarter than he looked. Or sounded. Imagine, if you will, if we had generals like we have now back then. Or, if we had a President like we have now back then! Depressing thought huh? I donno if I'd be writing this in German or in Japanese. Probably there'd be fighting going on right now, between Eastern Japan and Western Germany, with the battle line somewhere along the Mississippi River.
As an actual winning General, and a President of some stature (a Plus: he appointed Earl Warren to the Supreme Court- a Minus: he said he thought integration should "go slower").
And, if we are going to say that maybe he knew whereof he spoke, as an actual fighting General, and an actual President, then maybe that last thing he said, you know, about the Military-Industrial Complex is something we should pay (should have paid) attention to. At 460 Billion and counting, it's hard to dispute that the M-I C pretty much gets its own way when it comes to congressional pork. It's probably late in the game to try to start the Pentagon on a diet. The last president tried it, and he had some success, but the dogs of war seem to have returned to feeding on the body politic.

Remember When?

We used to laugh and shake our heads at those crazy Russians - with all those commissars snooping into everybody's business? Now, it seems, we have adopted the same zany and ineffectual concept (Senate Passes Bush Terrorism Spy Bill). Only difference; We are using computers, and technology, and gee-whizz electronic devices!
This assures us of Two Things:
1. You can't find a commissar to bribe to leave you alone.
2. The money spent (read: wasted) on all this spymaster hijinks goes to the profit line of big corporations, rather than to working people.
At least the Rooskies had a full-employment program when it came to snooping!

I Believe

It is spiritually beneficial to turn off your mobile phone for some period of time each day; this to establish in your mind that your existence as an individual does not depend on an electronic umbilicus to the other members of your tribe.
Although, perhaps it really does (depend on it, that is).

Kidnapping & Murder

Equals a 15 year jail term! (Oh: also a "Written Reprimand").
Here's the AP story from USMC Station Camp Pendleton, where Sgt. Hutchins and his squad were on trial. In what the Marines refer to as "The Real World", kidnap and murder carry a mandatory death penalty. That is, however, if you kidnap and kill "One Of Us". It's different if you kill a "Raghead". I guess. And don't forget, the Sgt. got busted to Private, and is getting a dishonorable discharge. The people who still like to brag about how we are bringing Democracy to the ignorant benighted people of Iraq will point with pride to the fact that at least we did have a trial. I think that will not cause the Iraqis to strew flowers in our path though.

By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 6 minutes ago

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - A jury sentenced a Marine sergeant Friday to 15 years in prison for the murder of an Iraqi civilian during a fruitless search for an insurgent.
Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III also was dishonorably discharged, reduced in rank to private and given a written reprimand.
Hutchins stood at attention and looked straight ahead as his sentence was announced. He then sat down, briefly put his head on the table in front of him and looked up with red eyes.
His wife, Reyna Hutchins, burst into tears, and other relatives appeared stunned, with his mother slumping in her chair.
On Thursday, Hutchins became the first and only member of an eight-member squad to be convicted of murder in the killing.
He had been charged with premeditated murder, but jurors struck premeditation from the verdict, meaning Hutchins no longer faced a mandatory life sentence.
Testimony from several of his comrades pointed to him as the mastermind of the plot to kidnap and kill a suspected insurgent.
The Iraqi civilian was pulled from his Hamdania home in April 2006 and shot in a hole. An AK-47 and shovel were placed nearby to make him look like an insurgent planting a bomb, according to the prosecution.
Unlike several of his squad mates, Hutchins never expressed remorse, saying he believed he was doing what his superiors wanted.
"I think that had a significant impact on the jury," Hutchins' attorney Rich Brannon said. "We had a tragic mistake, although I think it was command-influenced, and I think it is very difficult emotionally for Larry to deal with that mistake."
Brannon said he would ask Lt. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general who has jurisdiction over Hutchins, to review the sentence.
Hutchins, of Plymouth, Mass., also was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, making a false official statement and larceny. He was acquitted of kidnapping, assault and housebreaking.
Testimony showed the victim was kidnapped and killed when the squad couldn't find the suspected insurgent.
Prosecutors previously identified the victim as Hashim Ibrahim Awad, 52. The name, however, was dropped from charge sheets.
All eight members of the squad were initially charged with murder and kidnapping.
Four lower-ranking Marines and a Navy corpsman cut deals with prosecutors in exchange for their testimony and received sentences ranging from one to eight years in prison.
Earlier in the day, a separate jury sentenced a Marine corporal to time served and reduced his rank to private for conspiring to murder an Iraqi civilian.
Cpl. Marshall Magincalda, 24, has already served 448 days in custody and was to be freed Friday.
"I was very happy that I got a fair trial," Magincalda said after his sentencing. "I feel really good, and I feel proud to serve as a Marine."
Magincalda was acquitted of murder but found guilty of larceny and housebreaking, and was cleared of making a false official statement.
Magincalda was not accused of firing a shot but was charged for taking part in the plot.
Because the jury did not give him a punitive discharge, Magincalda will retain military benefits, including treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and depression that his psychiatrist testified was triggered by three combat tours and confinement in the brig.
He said he wants to re-enlist in the Marine Corps. If he is rejected, he said, he will join his family in Manteca to help his father run a ranch.
The Marine said he'd had a difficult time in the brig, which he referred to as the "Camp Pendleton Hotel," but had received a lot of support from the public.
"It's been a horrible experience out there; I haven't felt good," Magincalda said. "All the support I received ... that kept me going."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said Magincalda's sentence would be seen by many as a light one.
"People around the world and people in Iraq will be monitoring these kinds of trials to see if what they regard as justice is being done," Hooper said.
"If there is a perception that our soldiers can commit these crimes and only get a slap on the wrist, that's not going to send a very good message," he said.
A jury last month acquitted another corporal of murder but convicted him of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping. According to testimony, Cpl. Trent Thomas of Madison, Ill., had greater involvement in the killing than Magincalda. Thomas was sentenced to a reduction in rank and a bad-conduct discharge but no prison time.
The squad was pulled from the battlefield after the slaying

Piling On

In yet-another-Profile-In-Courage... Former George W. Bush appointee Richard Carmona, Surgeon General from 2003- 2006, proudly averred that he had permitted himself to be censored by the administration's mind police (NY Times, July 10).
What kept this revelation unheard 'til now? Was the good doctor prevented even from saying he was being censored? Or was it Big Payday induced timidity?
I think it was H.L. Mencken who said something about people remaining quiet so long as their paychecks depend on it.
There's a lot of people in government who are like that, it seems(Franksmaunderings, 15 Feb 2005). In business too, I'll warrant. Like all those poor innocent Enron executives who were, just like the rest of us Shocked! when they were told about the blatant illegality of their blatantly illegal activities.
A suggestion: Let's have all the former high-ranking government officials get together and elect one mouthpiece to step forward and (ahem) expose himself (or herself, if you wish). Bear the anguish for all of them. It's really not an edifying sight/sound to hear this same bathetic story endlessly repeated. And in such an obviously self-serving way.

I'd like to call your attention to

The Babel Fish link over on the side bar. Give it a try - let me know if perhaps I read better in another language! Couldn't hurt.

The New, The Improved!...

Seven Wonders of the World!

In a wondrous exhibition of self-promotion, the New7Wonders organization today (07-07-07) announced its selection of seven "candidates to represent global heritage". Seven Wonders. Whose heritage, and why the previous seven wonders were no longer appropriate is not knowable. The point of it all is most likely to try to vector a few additonal feeble-minded tourists to those particular destinations. The self-appointed annointers of the new wonders had a worldwide election. Everyone could vote if they wished. Everyone, that is, with access to a computer or to a mobile phone. As it turns out, the franchise has a pretty steep poll tax The 50% or so of the people who have no access even to electricity, well, you're out of luck.
Some of the new designees were pretty much slam dunks. There is, for instance, the Great Wall of China, the largest structure ever created by man. Apparently, looking at the seven wonders, one requirement of wondrousness is that it had to have been man-made. Creations of God, sorry, don't count. Anyway, the Great Wall, which certainly is Great, wasn't actually built to be a tourist destination. It was built to defend china from Invading Mongol Hordes. As such, it proved a failure, as do all such walls. Perhaps the Great Wall of Israel, which likewise fails in its stated purpose of deterring violent incursions, will someday take its place among the NewNew7Wonders!
Then there's the Taj Mahal. Also a surefire winner. Also winner, Most Phallic Structure Ever Created. From some photos, it's possible to count as many as 17, count 'em 17 penises, all thrusting proudly upward! Clearly, the old Maharaj was somewhat of a braggart. But, after 200 years, who's to say if he was trying to compensate for, let us say, a slight flaccidity in his persona. Perhaps the marblelike quality of the Great Phalli of the Taj Mahal do no more than reflect the upthrusting quality of the man himself. In any case, the Ranee is well serv(ic)ed in her crypt.
All in all, it looks like a good set of wondrous, if man-made, destinations. At the very least, I can hope it'll make the places I go to a little bit less crowded.

In An Amazing Development...

... Crypto-Republican

Joe Lieberman

announces, in his crypto-message manner "I'm Running For Vice!"
Yes, we know Joe, you're really a "Moderate Democrat" at heart. It's all those bleeding heart liberals, like your former running-mate and stepping-stone-to-the-White-House,


Al Gore
(in his slimmer political fighting trim days);
and former Democratic candidate for your Senate seat


Ned Lamont
Who are causing the problems in this country. The nay-sayers are balking at those obvious steps we have to take to make this country secure. The same actions that, over time, are certain to provide secure borders and a prosperous future for Israel, for example. That is to say; Bomb Iran! And any other country that seems to pose an impediment to the Imperial Republic of America. Just because it hasn't worked so far is no proof that the next bombing run won't fix everything to our entire satisfaction. If not that bomb, then perhaps the next one. News Bulletin: Your Ability To Control Events Is Much Less Than You Imagine! Those @#$% people will persist in disobeying your every wish.

Yes,

hoping to catch the attention of potential Potomac Fever infected and now neo-Independent rich guy New York Mayor



Michael Bloomberg;

Joe (Ain't God Great!) Lieberman announces he is of a naturally independent mind about the presidential possibles in '08. Heck, he might even vote for an independent candidate! Give the man this; he is certainly an optimist! About as toxic a politician as there is, outside the White House, it's completely certain that nobody is going to seek out Lieberman for a running mate. More likely, they'll be lining up to pay him off to NOT endorse them!

Budget Restraint!

From DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press, June 16:
CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush warned Congress on Saturday that he will use his veto power to stop runaway government spending.

Some might say it was about time. Others would say "How can anybody's mind work in such a freakish way as to say such a thing after six years of absolutely giving away taxpayer's money to his war profiteer friends?"
Well, let us remember, "This White House creates it's own reality."
And it's definitely not the reality the rest of us are faced with.

Maybe It's Too Subtle?

Last week I went to see Pirates of the Carribbean - At World's End. I expected a fairly mindless but enjoyable comedy-plus-grotesque-creatures movie. Lots of computer graphics. Strange plot. Lots of action. Odd non-sequiturs; like the earlier Pirates. Instead, at the beginning of the movie, I saw the following:

Scene: A line of prisoners, assorted men/women; one child. Dirty and mangy; lined up; being marched to a five-station gibbet (five nooses, no waiting). Just the intro; nothing special. Setting the scene, as it were. But then!

Camera pans. Zooms in on British Soldier (Marine, actually, I think), reading a proclamation. I guess nobody was paying attention yet. I haven't read or heard anything about this. What the proclamation says is:

"To insure the security of the royal colonies the following is proclaimed - 1. The Right To Freely Assemble: Suspended. 2. The Right To Freedom Of Speech: Suspended. 3. The Right Of Habeas Corpus: Suspended. 4. The Right To Trial By A Jury Of Peers: Suspended.

Who knew! George W. Bush was the scriptwriter for Pirates of the Carribbean!
Or, hmmm, maybe somebody just wanted to steal his best lines. See if we're paying attention. Apparently, nobody is.
Along the same line, here's a column by Eugene Robinson, one of the few, the coherent, the knowledgeable, the not shrill(I like that: Fleeting Glory in Albania (Washington Post, Tuesday, June 12)

Yes, George W. Bush, the man who, in a paraphrase of a famous saying from the Vietnam War had to destroy democracy in order to save it! He will, in fact, (direct quote here)...live in infamy.

"Worrisome Situation"

"AP - ROME - President Bush, denounced by tens of thousands of anti-American protesters on the streets of Rome, defended his humanitarian record on Saturday to Pope Benedict XVI, who expressed concern about 'the worrisome situation in Iraq.'"

The president is wandering in the wilderness of Europe this week, looking for approval among his peers. If, that is, he has any peers.
Using the time-tested Bush Presidential Technique, he promised to Do Something about global warming, AIDS, Iraq, Iran, Putin, et. tedious cetera.
One notable thing: President Bush promised to send $60 billion to Africa to fight AIDS. Only two questions in my mind. 1. Will this money mostly (or entirely) go to good Christian organizations to teach chastity to the Africans? I'm pretty certain it won't go to provide free condoms. Those, we know, promote naughty sexual activity. Before condoms, nobody had sex except with their wife/husband. 2. Is this the same $60 billion the G-8 (for G - 8 read Rich) nations promised last year to fight poverty in Africa? Remember Africa Aid last year, featuring Tony Blair trying to find something to distract the voters from his disastrous Bush's Poodle image?

Looking again at the AP caption - Isn't it wonderful how Presidents and Popes and suchlike can find the mot juste? The Worrisome Situation In Iraq." Marvelous!

Modern Times

On occasion, I get a chance to view a teevee with a cable connection. It seems to have disappeared from the offerings here, but I used to be able to get NHK TV - Japanese national television; broadcast in Japanese (sometimes with English subtitles) and in English (sometimes with Japanese subtitles). Altogether, a very satisfying experience. Especially since it appears to be counter to Japanese culture to be shrill and to feign outrage as for instance Fox News, where rational dialog is strictly forbidden. Aside: I wonder how much coaching it takes to get the talking heads on Fox to say "Fair And Balanced" without cracking up?
There is one offering on NKH that's of particular interest - a show that profiles people of some attainment; typically, but not necessarily, something technological in nature. On one occasion they profiled this man:

Daisuke Inoue, inventor of the Karaoke Machine.

In the English dubbing, Daisuke-san was quoted at one point as saying "I never got anything for my invention." Needless to say, I was disappointed to hear that. I personally would have given the inventor of Karaoke something like 20-to-life. I think that's a reasonable reward for enabling pop-singer-wannabes to pump up the volume of their unwelcome noise to new and unprecedented levels. I say, send 'em to the showers! Where the sound is muffled and echoic, the way God meant it to be!
Last year, I went to a friend's birthday celebration. It turned out to be at a club where the patrons were openly committing serial karaoke! It was a terrible sight to behold - or to behear. A few minutes of this caused my innate dislike of noise to coalese around a bitter hatred of karaoke. (Not, however, to this extreme: Man Shot Dead...).
Given all this, as you can easily imagine, I have long been puzzled at the intense fan(atic) respone to the teevee show

a karaoke show set in front of television cameras, and cabled into millions of homes. Somehow, this entertainment-on-the-cheap has captured a huge audience! One can only speculate how truly awful the competing offerings on teevee must be to make a karaoke show such a hit. That, or perhaps the sheer mindlessness of watching people doing nothing-very-interesting, as opposed to doing nothing-very-interesting yourself, is today the very height of entertainment.
Here is a recent also-ran, one whose name I saw almost continuously in major news venues for day after day after day. Now he's a celebrity on the order of Rula Lenska.

Sanjaya, performing on American Idol.

What! You don't know who Rula Lenska was? I must confess, I don't either, really. I only remember that some (well, many) years ago, she, or perhaps some Rula Lenska Lookalike, had her moment of fame (on teevee, of course) which consisted of looking sultrily (if that can possibly be a word) into the camera, and saying, "Hi; I'm Rula Lenska."
Well, it was a commercial, of course, advertising something, I'm certain. I never could figure out what it was about, though. Eventually, I went to the trouble to look up Rula Lenska somewhere. It seems that sometime back in the '50's or '60's, or perhaps the '70's, she was a first-, or perhaps second-runner-up in the Miss Poland beauty pageant.
You see where I'm going here. If I'm going anywhere at all, I guess this is about famous-celebrity as famous-celebrity. Why should one bother with actual accomplishment if one can simply get on stage and pose? It's the new concept of success. Don't work to become a musician; go directly to being a Pop Star! It's all about image, nothing about substance. Sort of like being a politician, when you think about it.
At any rate; good luck Sanjaya! Someday with a little luck, you'll be able to get a gig like Rula Lenska's

What You Failed To Notice

In all this old/new rehashing of the



Rev. Jerry Falwell's

most psychotic rants, is: Just What Is A Grown Man Doing Watching A TV Show Made For Babies anyway? Nothing can be known for certain, but it is possible that the show, designed as a pacifier for pre-language infants (and their moms) was actually at an intellectual level suited for the Reverend and his multitude of followers.



Purple -- Hue Knew? / Thanks to Rev. Falwell, color is out of closet
The Rev. Jerry Falwell has said that the purple Teletubby, Tinky Winky, is a gay role model. (AP Photo)

Energy: Part 1

Electricity

First, a few facts about energy generally: There are several different kinds of energy in nature - Electrical, Gravitational, Mechanical, Physical, Mental, and Emotional. The First Law of Energy: "Energy cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only be changed from one form to another". This law was first proposed by Lord Kelvin (OBE,BTU), who used this law in the development of the Kelvinator, an early form of Frigidaire, or refrigerator, known today as "reefer".

Electricity can be "made" (remember the First Law!) in several ways. One way is to go fly a kite in a thunderstorm (Be Careful!).
Another way (preferred) is to block a river, and then let the dammed water flow over a windmill. The rotating windmill causes two wires to rub together, making the electrons living in the wires to run to the other end. This is an excellent example of the Conversion of Energy: the current from the flowing river is converted to current flowing along the wire!

Now that we know how to "make" electricity; let's think about the other part of the equation - what we can use it for!

Electricity is used in a myriad ways today.

The main thing we do with it is --- we waste it! Electricity's major use is to Heat Empty Spaces, Cool Empty Spaces. and Light Empty Spaces. It is also sometimes used to fill empty spaces with the sound of "music".

The number two use of electricity is for manufacturing. Electricity is used in (Manu)Factories to make almost anything we want but don't really need: Cars, Cosmetics, TV Dinners and other foodlike items, Levis, iPods, and "stuff" in general. The list is endless! Ummm, now that I look at it, I don't think any of that stuff (except maybe for the TV Dinners) is actually "manufactured" in the US anymore. In any case, this is proof that electricty, like political donations,is fungible; electricity used to make "stuff" we don't need could also be considered in category 1, above (wasted).

In pretty much a tie for third place is electicity used to light up houses - where it is intended to warn people that the occupants are awake and alert, so they should stay away; and commercial buildings - which are lit up like Christmas trees inside and out, hoping to make people think something interesting is going on, and attract them! It's an interesting duality. I have yet to figure if all this light shining in people's eyes has either effect. It's been going on for over a century now, and I guess the jury is still out.

The fifth (remember, there are two number 3's) most common use for electricity is (are you ready for this?) - to power appliances that are "off." Yes; many years ago, Lord Magnavox (ABC, CBS, NBC, etc. etc.) discovered that if he wired your television or other essential appliance so that "OFF" really meant "ON - but not so you can use it," people would be happier. Their electric meters would continue to turn happily, thus avoiding a breakdown in the delivery of power to the home (and billing for same).

As I said earlier, electricity has a myriad of uses today. I have mentioned only a few of the most common. The other hundreds of uses perhaps adding up in the aggregate to as much as use number five (providing electricity to appliances that are "OFF").

So, when your local (or national) Candidate For President starts talking about "Clean Power" or "Green Power" remember: He-Or-She isn't talking about electricity. He-Or-She is talking about just plain power (His-Or-Her own).

Next: Energy: Part 2. Combustion

Poor Wolfie!

If only Paul "Iraq Delenda Est" Wolfowitz had just stuck to giving hundreds of millions of tax dollars to his friends in the war profiteering industries As I Said In 2003, to kill people. But no! He moved to the World Bank, and gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to his girlfriend, for love. He should'a stuck to death and destruction. If he had, he'd still be getting plaudits, promotions, and medals. Instead, he's getting the sack!

Please Be Advised...

My investigative team "has learned that not all email of the My Office for certain time periods in 2000 - 2007 was preserved through the normal archiving process on the House Computer System,..."
It is possible, therefore, that if some busybody snoop "special" prosecutor person should try to find out something I don't want him to know about...
TOUGH!

Evolution? Bah!

The local New Year celebration (Songkran) is winding down. The cleanup crews are out in force, shoveling the drifts of discarded trash with what look very much like snow shovels (snow! in Thailand!) and packing it into garbage trucks lined up almost bumper-to-bumper.
Most of the trash is plastic. Most of the trash is empty bags.
It has always been a source of irritation to me that people can seemingly without effort carry bags filled with heavy objects - but, when the bags are empty, they become too heavy to carry any longer, and drop to the ground, discarded. Not unique to Thailand. In California, those eager picnikers can carry a huge amount of food to the beach; the empty bags are too heavy to take back home after the fest.
In fact; this is an example confirming something I have long believed.
When a bag is empty; when an object loses its utility; when one has no need for the object-in-the-hand; discard it.
In short, man has not evolved from the rodent-brained knuckle-dragger of the Paleolithic era. Society has evolved, certainly; but the members of the society remain largely unchanged. Ever since the first time a man picked up a tool (a rock, a stick, a bone)(probably to bash the head of his best friend and take away that tasty morsel of rodent he wouldn't share); when a new and improved tool (a rock, a stick, a bone) is seen, before it can be picked up, the old one must be dropped. Returned to the earth from whence it came, as it were.
Thus, rodent-brained man has continued down the millenia, through the Acheulean, the Mousterian, the Tin, the Bronze, the Iron, the Dark, the Industrial, the Atomic Ages and all the Ages in between, essentially unchanged from that old-stone-age nomad who picked up the first 'tool' (rock, stick, bone).
The difference is that today, when one discards that which is in one's hands, it isn't being returned to the earth from whence it came. It didn't come from the earth - it came from a factory. It really doesn't belong on the ground, or in the bushes, or in the water.
Try telling that to the rodent-brained knuckle-dragger of the modern era. But be careful. One might also reflect that, if indeed man is still in a Paleolithic state, mentally speaking, it might be wise to consider the consequences when one hires someone to fix something that's broken around the home. What if Mr. Paleolithic Man doesn't have the right tool (rock, stick, bone)? What is the likely result? Not knowable, I think, but likely not to be good.
Conclusion: While the world around us evolves, man, stubborn rodent-brained knuckle-dragging Paleolithic man, remains unchanged. In fact, we now find out that Chimps more evolved than humans One need only look at the White House to see a prime example of this.

Public Rebuke for Wolfowitz

Take a look at this; from the NY Times (Monday, April 16): "The World Bank’s oversight committee questioned Paul D. Wolfowitz’s leadership in a blow to his efforts to stay on..."
See now, that's what happens when you Have Sex With That Woman! You'd think he woulda learned something from the Great Scandal of the Twentieth Century - a scandal of such magnitude it required the impeachment of a sitting President.
What appalls me about this is that when the same man was one of the leaders of a cabal that promoted the invasion, occupation, and destruction of another country, and the deaths of thousands, hundreds of thousands, of people - he got promoted! What's the lesson for the rest of us here?
I guess it's okay to kill people, just don't have sex with them.

Culled From The News

This spotted on "Dave Barry's Blog".
"... a dump-truck driver 'dropped more than 59,000 pounds of processed human excrement on Interstate 295' and was charged with 'failure to contain his load.' "

Is There A Rule?

From time to time I take a trip to a nearby seaside resort town. It's a pretty polyglot place, with visitors from every known continwnt; perhaps also from continents-yet-to-be-discovered.
But that's a topic for the future.
This is about signage, those ubiquitous devices posted on every vertical surface, it seems, in the world. Or perhaps this is really about language. About grammar even; if there really is such a beast.
The particular sign that triggered my interest said "Teeth Whitening". I recalled that I have also seen signs in this town saying "Eyes Testing". These signs are wrong! Maybe not wrong; perhaps just a little off-center. What's confusing me is that the phrases can be made correct just by modifying either word. Should "Eyes Testing" really be "Eyes Tested", or should it perhaps be "Eye Testing"?
Is there some micro-rule of English grammar regarding plurals and participles? Or is this a particular instantiation of some more global rule? Whatever the rule is, isn't it kind of silly? After all, that which once was wrong is now right, and at sometime in the future will be wrong again.
Or, is it just me - wasting my limited bandwidth on some absurd James Kilpatric-esque issue?
With all the oddities I keep running into - and not just in English - I'm beginning to believe that there is really no such thing as rules-of-grammar; all language is colloquial. That's spoken language of course. Written language has no lack of rules whatsoever.
As an aside: I find many people (especially my students) are surprised when I inform them that speaking came before writing. Soon after writing came, of course, reading. Listening will likely be discovered very soon now; except on cable TV news.

Just As An Aside...

I've added a link to over on the sidebar. They claim to offer over 90 thousand free eBooks. With the cost of books these days, and the space they take up, I think it's worth a look.
Happy Browsing!

If This Is So...

If, in fact, the

deadliest bombs in Iraq are made in Iran...,

as Dr. Rice now avers, then why are we spending $Hundreds-of-Billions a year on military weaponry?
Why don't we buy our ordnance direct from Iran, instead of Dow Chemical or whomever?
This looks like yet-another-we-are-the-victim claim from the poor defenseless United States Military, which claims that the violence in Iraq is due, not to the 130,000 plus US military occupiers, but to a mysterious group of Iranians.
Again; if our military isn't up to the job of being violent and deadly, why are we bothering to spend all this money on it?
Why not just admit defeat and go home and cower under the blankets?

Those Caveats!

The new "National Intelligence (sic) Estimate" is out "Iraq at Risk of Further Strife, Intelligence Report Warns", and, according to John Negroponte (nominated as The Man Most Likely To Fail Upward), things are dire - but wait! - "...'there are prospects for increasing stability' that depend on the commitment of Iraqi government and political leaders to take steps to end Sunni-Shiite violence and 'the willingness of Iraqi security forces to pursue extremist elements of all kinds,' he said..." Now, there's denial and there's denial - you know, the kind one tends to find within oneself when ones future depends on what one believes. It would be really interesting to know what basis Mr. Negroponte (one of the famous Unindicted Co-conspirators of Watergate) has for believing that anybody in Iraq is willing to do anything to promote stability - other than trying to kill "Them" faster than "Them" can kill "Us". In fact, there is no indication whatsoever that what Mr. Negroponte wishes to belive is anything other than yet-another-fantasy in the series of such fantasies set forth by the feckless administration of George W. Bush. Latest example of "Iraqi Cooperation": "Baghdad market obliterated". Since the United States (aka "Coalition of the Willing") invaded Iraq, there has been no indication that the Iraqis have been the least bit interested in the desire of the invaders to establish a "Stable Prosperous Friendly Government." And George W. Bush's insistence that the democratic puppet government of Iraq would bring about the destabilization and replacement of the governments of the neighboring states probably hasn't made those countries greatly willing to lend a hand. Now, of course, there's a New Plan. It consists of re-invading Bagdhad. I'm not sure what's new about this plan, but it is most likely intended to keep the middleeast pot simmering. I think this is not a good thing, but if you ask Vice President Dick Cheney, he'll say it's definitely a good thing.

Somehow...

I don't see how sending troops to Iraq is a "new" idea.

In Arab world, U.S. approaches falling short
By Megan K. Stack and Ken Ellingwood, (Los Angeles) Times Staff Writer;
5:46 PM PST, January 11, 2007
"...Sunni governments such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan are longtime allies to the United States, while Shiite-ruled Iran has long been an American nemesis. But the rise of Shiite political power in post-Saddam Iraq, along with the growing regional influence of Iran, have left many Sunnis feeling insecure.Foremost among the causes of bloodshed in Iraq, according to an editorial in Thursday's pan-Arab Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper, "is the U.S. occupation's bias in favor of one sect at the expense of the other, and its humiliation of the members of the latter in a manner that reveals a strong desire for revenge."Some Sunnis have fretted quietly about the possibility of a U.S. withdrawal. They fear that Iraq's minority Sunni Arab population, already under attack by Shiite militias, would face even harsher retribution from Shiites after the departure of U.S. soldiers.But Thursday, those voices were all but silent.Meanwhile, neighboring Iran also warned against boosting the number of American troops in Iraq."The increase in the number of American military forces can escalate insecurity and tension in Iraq and work against solving that country's problems," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters in Tehran. "America is trying to accuse and blame other countries for interference in Iraq to cover its policy-making mistakes in that country..."

Well, at least it appears that George W. Bush is being evenhanded about the whole thing; all the various factions in Iraq and, indeed, in the entire middle east, seem certain that they are the group being targeted for extinction.

Who can tell? - perhaps this will finally force the Iraqis to work together to get rid of the invading army.

This Morning

I dropped the shampoo...

It hit the floor amazingly fast; and I realized something. Gravity is increasing! Yes, the Earth's gravity is getting stronger. Even the rate at which it's getting stronger is probably increasing, though I haven't figured a way to measure this. Even at the current rate, if I last to 100, the Earth's gravitational pull will probably nearly equal that of a Black Hole.
No wonder my feet hurt.
I think the Climate Change Alarmists should consider worrying about this instead of that wussy little 2 or 3 degrees on the thermometer they're warning us about. I mean, if we're all glued to the ground, what's a little additional sweat to worry about?
I'd also like to know why this is happening. Is it a natural phenomenon, something to do with time and space? Or is it caused by human intervention (like Global Warming)? Is it the Atom Bomb? Perhaps God is angry because we're fighting over His favorite stomping grounds - like Jerusalem. Maybe it's all that missing matter I keep reading about. Maybe it's finding its way to Earth and making our gravity bigger. Or, looking around, maybe the missing matter is conglomerating around the waistlines of America. Attracted by the delicious smell of those Supersized Big Mac Meal Deals. It's adding to the avoirdupois of the population, thus increasing the amount of the world's biomass. I really don't know the answer, but I think we'd better get the government to fund a study. Since they're cutting all that pork in Congress now, there should be a little bit of money for this important study. I urge you to write your congressperson! Please, don't wait, do it today!

Progress!

Here is some exciting news from the Consumer Electronics Conference:

"LAS VEGAS: Bill Gates, the chairman of Microsoft, is using the Consumer Electronics Show here to highlight several new consumer-oriented products and to unveil a partnership with Ford Motor to build Microsoft technology into several Ford models."

It seems that soon we will be able look forward to our new Ford Or Other Fine Car running as reliably as our Microsoft Windows PC!

3000

And Counting...

It eases the mind, I think, if the deaths are anonymous. There are places online where the deaths are exposed - as real men and real women. Mostly young. Looking even younger. Every one of them, regardless of any other factor - someones child. Killed in a vain attempt to win glory for the Commander-In-Chief.
You can look at the faces of the fallen here. The fallen U.S. soldiers. The multitude of Iraqis, men, women, children, are still mostly faceless.
George W. Bush (Bush The Clueless) is about to announce a "New Direction". As I said before, there are really only two directions. IN and OUT. Which one will the feckless George W. Bush select?

Which Old Witch?

The Wicked One!

Yes, Saddam Hussein is dead! They hanged him, in the dark, in a dark place.
I reckon some people are happy about it. These men certainly must be! I don't know about al Jaafari, but there's not much George W. Bush likes more than a nice execution. Probably reminds him of better days when, as Governor of Texas he could order lots of executions. Or course, a good old-fashioned hanging beats one of those wussy lethal injection executions hands down. Heck, with a lethal injection you can't even tell when the Grim Reaper has come and gone.
However, this may fall among that class of Things You Should Be Careful You Wish For. It seems to me it's a somewhat ominous precedent. Having a Quisling court of a puppet government execute a former head of state; I mean. A head of state who was, moreover, handed to the court conditionally, premised from the get-go on the certainty of a guilty verdict and a death sentence. Saddam was, of course, a Brutal Thug Dictator - supported in his thuggery, unfortunately, by the United States so long as he followed orders: something he failed to do in 1991.

Be That As It May

The precedent has been established now: Kangaroo Court Yes; World Court No.Who knows if perhaps there will come a time when a United States President, sitting or former will wish that he could appeal to the World Court?
OH:, just as an aside, I think it's really really stupid to create a martyr to give your enemies a rally point, just out of a self-righteous belief in your own personal divine guidance. I know; it's hard to believe that Saddam Hussein could ever be made into a hero, but think about who is telling the story in the Sunni states of the middle east? And how many would-be successors are willing to rewrite the history of Iraq/The Saddam Years to their own personal gain?
Please Stay Tuned

What Choices?

"Analysis: Bush Iraq choices get tougher
By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 4 minutes ago
CRAWFORD, Texas - Whatever the reasons for President Bush''s lengthy deliberations on a new Iraq policy, they undoubtedly will serve two political purposes: Letting the grim milestone of 3,000 U.S. deaths in Iraq and the potential backlash from Saddam Hussein's execution pass before the public hears his new ideas. The execution of Saddam by his countrymen would help legitimize the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Yet, if it incites more bloodshed, it would remind Americans that the situation is "grave and deteriorating," as the recent Iraq Study Group concluded.
The American public has grown weary of the war and even though past wars have seen vastly higher casualties, a U.S. death toll topping 3,000 — which is approaching - would shine a spotlight on the human toll of U.S. involvement.
For now, Bush has been able to fend off calls for withdrawal of U.S. troops. Yet if the situation in Iraq doesn't improve — and quickly — those calls could begin to drown out whatever new ideas he puts forth in the early weeks of the new year. Americans are a patient lot and likely will give Bush the time and backing he needs to take another shot at getting a U.S. policy in Iraq that works. And the new Democratically led Congress, which convenes on Jan. 4, probably won't block the commander in chief if he decides to briefly increase troop levels. "It is likely his last chance, however," said analyst Jon Alterman. "Republicans and Democrats alike will be looking for early signs that the president's policy isn't working, in which case they will quickly head for the exits. My sense is that this is taking a long time because they know it's their last shot."
Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president, said Friday that neither the approaching 3,000th U.S. death in Iraq nor Saddam's execution is "dictating when" Bush's speech will be delivered. Those two events, though, will influence its reception by the American people.
When Saddam was pulled from his hiding spot in a spider hole in December 2003, public opinion shifted in Bush's favor. But the former Iraqi leader's execution likely would have less inclination to sway public opinion now because Americans' views have hardened as the war has intensified.
The White House viewed Saddam's execution as an "important milestone in the Iraqi people's efforts to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law." Still, skeptics of the president's policy can argue that remains mired in violent turmoil. And those opposed to a surge in U.S. troops will use the 3,000th death as a reason to continue opposing one. "I think there was a time when the death of Saddam Hussein would have given Bush the kind of political capital he needs to call for an increase in troops and an expansion of the military effort there, but I think we're past that time," said Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Boston University.
Bush is expected to deliver his speech — laying out his plan to improve security, assist the Iraqis in reaching a political reconciliation between warring sects and help with reconstruction — before his State of the Union address on Jan. 23. "

It's Remarkable

Isn't it; all the years of the war, when George W. Bush didn't want to send more troops - the generals didn't want more troops. Now that the President wants to send more troops - the generals suddenly discover that they by golly sure would like to have some more troops!
I suppose it's some part of the legacy of Donald K. Rumsfeld, that he managed to purge the Pentagon of any generals who thought like generals, leaving only those who thought like lieutenants. I think perhaps they should dust off General Westmoreland, he of Vietnam infamy, and put him back in charge!

In The Holiday Season

The Headlines...

Are truly like a letter from an alternate reality. A little cut/and/paste... and voila!:

World leaders call for peace on holiday AP - 30 minutes ago
British raid Basra police station AP - 17 minutes ago
Philippine military goes on high alert AP - 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
Pope offers Christmas prayers for peace AP - 43 minutes ago
Ethiopian jets bomb airports in Somalia AP - 2 hours ago

In Bethlehem, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, head-christian-in-charge, said "God wants peace".

Perhaps so, but He sure isn't getting any help from His people! It's pretty clear; God may want peace, but the record shows mankind is a lot more comfotable when there's a war or two going on. Why else are they apparently the most common state of affairs worldwide?
Merry Christmas, or Happy Solstice...

On Boxing Day

December 26, 2004, two years ago:

"On the morning of Dec. 26, 2004, the most powerful earthquake in four decades lifted the seabed west of Sumatra by several yards, propelling waves up to two stories high at jetliner speeds across the Indian Ocean to smash into coastal communities, beach resorts and towns in 12 nations.
In hardest-hit Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, the waves surged miles inland, tossing ships, swallowing entire villages and leaving behind a blasted landscape of concrete foundations and rubble littered with tens of thousands of bodies.
On Sumatra island — home to more than half the tsunami's nearly 230,000 dead and missing — volunteers and emergency workers took three months to recover all the corpses and bury them in mass graves."
(AP, Dec. 25, 2006)

December 26, 2006, now:

"EXCLUSIVE
Where did our tsunami cash go?
Western countries send complaint to police after loss of money donated to identify victims
...
The sources, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the subject, said funds contributed by Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and France amounted to almost Bt60 million.
The money was donated by the citizens of those countries, who wanted to help victims of the tsunami(emphasis mine; Ed.) that killed more than 5,000 people in the Phuket, Phang-Nga and Krabi areas.
The source said more than 60 per cent of the funds were wasted and disguised as travelling and other miscellaneous costs. 'To be frank, someone has stolen our citizens' money,"'said one of the sources, who has followed the victim identification process from the beginning."
...
(from The Nation, Bangkok, Dec. 25 2006)

"Editor,
Regarding Where did our tsunami cash go?(Nation, Dec. 25)This drove me crazy at the time, and the passing of time doesn't seem to have helped any. Why is it that, after the tsunami struck on Boxing Day 2004, the dead tourists were somehow more important than the living citizens? Still today, you talk about "wanting to help victims of the tsunami..." Hey! The dead are past our ability to help. How about helping the living, who lacked food, shelter; in some cases lost their entire families? Some of the victims are living without shelter or means of earning a living still today, two years later. Please, people, try to focus on what's important here!
Thanks,
Frank Maunder,
Bangkok Thailand"
(from me, Bangkok, Dec. 25 2006)

More Charting

It appears that President George W. Bush isn't the only politician who's planning a New Course In Iraq...

"I understand the polls show only 18 percent of the American people support my position. But I have to do what's right ... In war, my dear friends, there's no such thing as compromise. You either win or you lose."
Senator John McCain This in response to some polling regarding his proposal to add many thousands more (army) troops to those already occupying Iraq.

No fuzz on Sen. McCain's brain!

You either win, or you lose!
Or, as here, you have lost. Perhaps he never learned the present complicated tense in grammar school.

Charting a New Course

George W. Bush

is busily charting a New Course In Iraq (NCII). Some would say it's about time. Others would say it's way past that time. I said a long time ago (Here) that it was never time to begin in the first place. In 2003 only a few hundred million people thought it was a Bad Idea for the United States (and let's not forget the Coalition of the Willing) to attack Iraq.
Now, I believe, the number who think that was a bad idea is into the billions. Something here about eleventh hour conversions...
Anyway, I have to admit that my brain isn't able to do much in the way of original thinking. When the President talks about a NCII, I can only come up with two directions. One: stay. Two: go. What else is there? Sorry folks, no do-overs in war - you can't opt for the original don't-invade-to-begin-with. Maybe there's a third course? Sort-Of-Stay? Sort-Of-Go? Slouch toward Bethlehem?
Now, the president has said that leaving is not an option. If he's telling the truth, which i fear he is, then the NCII is going to look remarkably like the OCII (Old Course In Iraq).
The Pentagon uniforms have a new idea, of course: Give Us More Money! Might as well get something out of this mess!
Something here from MacBeth... "staggers along in its..." until enough people have died. Or too many people. No, no, thats from Bob Dylan, isn't it. Well, anyway, once enough people have died...
Then we can leave.
It's amazing how many people have to die to save their leader's faces.

Critical Condition

I'm only guessing, but my best guess is that right now


Harry Reid (D-NV),

Senate Majority Leader-In-Waiting has a new best friend;


Gordon Smith (R-OR).

Just in case he needs an eleventh hour conversion of a backbencher. He's probably taken Gordo up on the mountain, and is showing him the kingdom of Major Committee Chairmanships. Sorry to seem so cynical.

My thoughts are with Sen. Tim Johnson.

Flexible And Realistic

Indeed!

The Iraq Study Group Report is in, and it seems to be a best seller! It lists many many Good Things We Can Do In Iraq. Most of them no longer possible, if they ever were. Meantime, George W. Bush says he will be "flexible and realistic" about ... troop movements! Here's what the NY Times reports: "Bush Backs Away..."

By now, it seems pretty clear that the president isn't going to change anything with regard to the Iraq disaster. And why should he? Anything that includes keeping American ("Coalition Of The Willing") military in Iraq, which is not at all negotiable for this newly "flexible and realistic" President, is more likely to make things worse than they are already. Why not simply leave things as they are; let the killing continue. After all, as the President says, it isn't that he is losing the war in Iraq - he just isn't winning fast enough! Therefore, when the next President of the US abandons Iraq, the neocon historical revisionists can report (over and over and over, until they create a believing electorate) that the War President was within a hairs breadth of Winning In Iraq; but the new president was insufficiently bellicose for the task - It's All Her Fault!

As for that part about "When Iraq Can Defend Itself", judging by the casualty figures among the occupying forces (regrettably, they are my countrymen); looks like they are able to defend themselves just fine now. Probably a result of the training they got from the US army.

I wonder; if James Baker III had a do-over in the 2000 election - who would he cast his ballot for ?

Who, Besides Me...

... thinks there's something very very wrong with a society that debates the relative merits of torture as a way of dealing with "enemies" - real or suspected?

My God people, what are you thinking of?

How To Win In Iraq

A lot of new voices seem to be entering the How To Win In Iraq Sweepstakes (You May Already Be A Winner!) The Pentagon is apparently going to propose increasing the level of effort to train and equip an Iraq army that will be robust enough to protect the Government of Iraq. The Iraq Study Group (sounds a bit like a graduate seminar in the Geography Department, doesn't it?) is perhaps going to suggest actually talking to other countries in the region. Pretty bold stuff.
One thing that all the powers that be in the USA have in common, however, is that they all exist in a society that implicitly believes that governments work. Whether they like the way a government works or not is irrelevant here; none of them seems able to concieve other than extensionally that a government might be incapable of effecting events within its allocated geographic extent. I am here to tell you that, in fact, there are lots of places in the world that have no effective government (see The Hadley Memo). We all know the names - it's just that we don't seem to remember them very well. Let's just say they aren't high on the world tote board. Nepal, Cambodia, Somalia, Haiti, to mention a few. And, now, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Why the Pentagon's Approach Won't Work

The Army of Iraq was sent home three years ago by the American Viceroy. The Army of Iraq that the US Army is training is in fact a lot of young men who have no allegiance to, and no interest in, the nation of Iraq. They are the very insurgents and militias that are shooting at us. The effectiveness of US military training is evident; consider how much better the anti-occupation forces are at killing our soldiers now than they were a few years ago. With more training by the US miltary, eventually the people who want to kill us will be as effective a force as our own army! Sadly, as I said above, an Army General (or a Marine or Air Force General for that matter) is someone who has experienced great success in the United States, is committed to the national government, and has almost a faith-based belief in the effectiveness of training as the solution to every problem. Their experience has shown them that this is correct. The underlying assumption that there exists a government is what's in error with respect to Iraq.

Why the Study Group's Approach Won't Work

Our feckless president won't talk to people he doesn't like. Except to tell them they'd better just do as he tells them to, or they'll be the next on the list. Actually, the neocons who did such a fine job of steering the USA into an attack on Iraq are trying to reprise that effort in Iran. Such delusional thinking is really quite remarkable, if you stop to consider it.

The Maunder Solution

Get out! A phased withdrawal, with the troops leaving according to a schedule. Said schedule being - As fast as the transports can land, refuel, load, and take off!

Will that lead to chaos in Iraq? As opposed to the situation now? Surely. That poor devastated country is in for it, and we - the United States, President George W. Bush, the Iraqi Study Group, The Pentagon, The Democratic Congressional Majority; none of the above has any power to prevent it.

At least, when we are no longer there to be shot at, the Iraqis we trained so dilligently will turn their guns on the foreign forces they are now allied with. A new set of foreigners to exercise their well-deserved xenophobia on. A new scapegoat, if you will.

I should probably mention, at the end, that I wanted to rush-to-post in order to predate the Iraq Study Group's no doubt very eloquent report, due out on Wednesday.

Might Be

Heading For A Civil War ...

"New savage twist to violence in Baghdad"
By STEVEN R. HURST, Associated Press "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Revenge-seeking Shiite militiamen seized six Sunnis as they left Friday prayers, drenched them with kerosene and burned them alive, and Iraqi soldiers did nothing to stop the attack, police and witnesses said.
The fiery slayings in the mainly Sunni neighborhood of Hurriyah were a dramatic escalation of the brutality coursing through the Iraqi capital, coming a day after suspected Sunni insurgents killed 215 people in Baghdad's main Shiite district with a combination of bombs and mortars.
The attacks culminated Baghdad's deadliest week of sectarian fighting since the war began more than three years ago.
Police Capt. Jamil Hussein said Iraqi soldiers at a nearby army post failed to intervene in the burnings of Sunnis carried out by suspected members of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia, or in subsequent attacks that torched four Sunni mosques and killed at least 19 other Sunnis, including women and children, in the same northwest Baghdad area."

It would probably be an improvement if this turned into a straightforward "Civil War". Then perhaps there'd be some civility.

Sorry . . .

The Vietnam Lesson

So finally, at long long last, George W. Bush arrives in VietNam. About 35 years or so late. What does he do first? Just what any red-blooded American Commander In Chief would do: He lets his hosts know that "Hey, if I'd been President, instead of that cut-n-runner Democrat LBJ, I woulda whupped your ass!" (We don't mention RMN around the White House - neither Republicans nor Democrats).

While standing in front of a bust of the winner of that war, Ho Chi Minh.

What a diplomat! What a fugitive from reality!

Of course, the man is as bloodthirsty as anyone alive today, so dropping yet more bombs, shooting yet more villagers, deforesting yet more jungle, wreaking yet more havoc, year after year after year, would be no problem for this man.

I think the analysts have been wrong; I don't think the Iraq attack was about killing Saddam Hussein. I think it's just Bush making up for having missed his chance at killing gooks - he'll kill some ragheads to make up for his missed chance in Vietnam.

And, of course, he had to let the Vietnamese know how lucky they were to get off so lightly, before he sobered up enough to realize there had been a war. "Dammit, I missed all the fun!"

... Or Else!

Gen. John Abizaid,commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East, sternly warned Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
that he must disband Shiite militias and give the United States proof that they were disarmed, according to senior Iraqi government officials with knowledge of what the two men discussed.

Or We Spank!

Moments Away

Let the voting begin!

In a few hours now, the voters will be flocking, or at least slouching, to the voting booths. The biennial popularity contest has been unusually mmm, contested, this time around. The prognosticators were predicting big things for the Democrats, based on their polling. Then things started to shift. Big surprise! In statistics, this kind of shift is known as Regression Toward The Mean.
In this case, mean is a very apt description. There are a couple of reasons for this: One is that the oft-remarked "undecided" vote is going to go disproportionally to Republican candidates. Easy to see why. A lot of polled voters said they were undecided when they really meant Republican but were too ashamed to admit it. A tipoff: there's that number (18 or 19 pct., I forget) of pollees who say that John Kerry's remark about "stuck in Iraq" (like that's not a true statement of fact!) is likely to influence their vote. If the candidates will sieze on any pretext, well, so will their supporters, it seems.
The other reason is that polling seems to bring out the inner idiot in the pollee. My favorite recent example is a poll from Iraq, in which 80% of the pollees agreed that the United States occupying forces increased the violence in their hapless state, but only 70% thought that it would be a good thing for the occupiers to leave! Of course, I could be reading this wrong; perhaps the 10%difference was by way of those who approved of the additional targets for their bombs and bullets, and would be sorry to see the soldiers leave.

...good for Missouri

Here's George W. Bush stumping in Missouri, November 3 2006: "...And the Democrats want to raise your taxes...we put the death tax on the road to extinction..."
Yes! The Democrats want to raise your taxes. The Republicans, on the other hand, want to raise your children's taxes, and their children's taxes. But that's okay, because your children won't have to pay any taxes. Because they'll be living nicely on the many millions of dollars you were able to bequeath to them on account of the nice Repbublicans' repeal of the estate (aka death) tax! You do plan to leave an estate worth millions, don't you?
Of course, when everyone is rich and pays no taxes, it's a little puzzling how the roads are going to be fixed. Much less how we're going to pay the billions of dollars a year to prop up the puppet governments in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, etc. etc. Perhaps the future will look something like this: We All Live Upstairs Now. Now is one of those times I can honestly say Good Idea; Too bad it's wrong!

Remarkable!

Cheney: Iraqi Government Doing 'Remarkably Well'

By E&P (Editor & Publisher) Staff
Published: October 17, 2006 3:55 PM ET
NEW YORK Vice President Dick Cheney, as he is wont to do during difficult times for the administration, appeared on Rush Limbaugh's radio talk show today, where he declared that the current government in Iraq is "off to a good start" and "they're doing remarkably well." Americans are concerned, however, because the war, which began in March 2003, "wasn't over instantaneosly," he explained.
Here is the relevant portion of the transcript concerning Iraq:
CHENEY: Well, I think there’s some natural level of concern out there ... On the other hand, this government has only been in office about five months, five or six months now. They’re off to a good start ... If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well.
(The Web site, ThinkProgress.org, has the audio)

Central Command thinks it's going this well!

As The Professor Says

As Casey Stengel, known to baseball fans of a certain age as "The Perfesser" used to say

"You Could Look It Up".

In this age of cut/paste writing, there are a lot of boiler plate phrases that seem to be included everywhere certain subjects are mentioned. Like the one about "...Thought by some to cause global warming...", referring to CO2 when talking about the Greenhouse Effect. Where, of course, "some" actually means "everyone who isn't making money from CO2 emissions."

But that's a topic for a later post.

The phrase that currently sticks in my brain is

"Government of Iraq."

Finally I just couldn't take it any more. But, before I decided to howl in protest, I decided to follow the Perfesser's advice; I looked it up. Here is the definition, (courtesy of Wikipedia):
"A government is a body that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws within a civil, corporate, religious, academic, or other organization or group. In its broadest sense, 'to govern' means to administer or supervise, whether over a state, a set group of people, or a collection of assets.
The word government is ultimately derived from the Greek κυβερν'ν (kybernan), which means 'to steer'.
Typically, 'the government' refers to the executive function. In many countries (particularly those having parliamentary systems), the government refers to the executive branch of government or a specifically named executive, such as the Blair government (compare to the administration as in the Bush administration in U.S. usage). In countries using the Westminster system, the party in government will also usually control the legislature.
The 'Welsh Assembly Government' is the name of the executive branch of Wales, and 'Scottish government' is the unofficial term to describe the Scottish Executive."
It seemed to me that the operative word here with respect to "Government of Iraq" is "Power", so I "looked it up";
" Political power (imperium in Latin) is a type of power held by a person or group in a society. There are many ways to hold such power. Officially, political power is held by the political leader of a state, such as a president, prime minister, or monarch, as representatives or holders of the sovereignty. Political powers are not limited to heads of states, however, and the extent to which a person or group holds such power is related to the amount of societal influence they can wield, formally or informally. In many cases this influence is not contained within a single state and it refers to international power.
Political scientists have frequently defined power as 'the ability to influence the behaviour of others' with or without resistance."
I think it's especially cool that the creators of these Wikipedia entries added a dash of Greek and Latin to their work. Very nice!

However, my point (finally) is in the form of a question:

What Government?

A Cautionary Note

Here's something I read a few years ago. I didn't remember the exact place I had read it. I re-encountered it a few days ago. Just thought I'd share it with you:
" ... it is reasonable and understandable that the question is often asked: 'Why can't we take a specific and troubling dilemma straight to God, and in prayer secure from Him sure and definite answers to our requests?'
This can be done, but it has hazards. We have seen [alcoholics] ask with much earnestness and faith for God's explicit guidance on matters ranging all the way from a shattering domestic or financial crisis to correcting a minor personal fault, like tardiness. Quite often, however, the thoughts that seem to come from God are not answers at all. They prove to be well-intentioned unconscious rationalizations. The [alcoholic], or indeed any man, who tries to run his life rigidly by this kind of prayer, by this self-serving demand of God for replies, is a particularly disconcerting individual. To any questioning or criticism of his actions he instantly proffers his reliance upon prayer for guidance in all matters great or small. He may have forgotten the possibility that his own wishful thinking and the human tendency to rationalize have distorted his so-called guidance. With the best of intentions, he tends to force his own will into all sorts of situations and problems with the comfortable assurance that he is acting under God's specific direction. Under such an illusion, he can of course create great havoc without in the least intending it. (emphasis mine)
We also fall into another similar temptation. We form ideas as to what we think God's will is for other people. We say to ourselves, 'this one ought to be cured of his fatal malady,' or 'That one ought to be relieved of his emotional pain,' and we pray for these specific things. Such prayers, of course, are fundamentally good acts, but often they are based upon a supposition that we know God's will for the person for whom we pray. This means that side by side with an earnest prayer there can be a certain amount of presumption and conceit in us..."Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., Copyright 1952. Pp 103-104.
I remember thinking when I first read it "Havoc; yeah, especially if it's the President of the United States!"

Confessions of a Defeatocrat

George W. Bush predicts terrible consequences to follow if United States troops leave Iraq. As if there are not already terrible consequences as a result of their presence. In fact, those things he is predicting are occurring now precisely because of the presence of the occupying troops. "Bush told reporters last week that he invites a change in strategy if the plan isn't working. But he also said the U.S. will not leave until the job is done."The President, as usual, has things precisely backwards; the job won't be done until the troops leave. Things like this: "...The worst bloodshed took place about 50 miles north of Baghdad, around the predominantly Sunni town of Duluiyah and the larger, predominantly Shiite town of Balad. The two communities are separated by the Tigris River..." will continue not occasionally, but every day. Here's the complete Washington Post story:

Washington Post October 15 2006: Iraq Violence Spreads...

Note that in this report, as in very report from Iraq since the invasion three years ago, the killing and destruction is always couched in terms of Shiite versus Sunni. You know, the people who are spending the month of Ramadan fasting, praying, seeking insight into the Will of God as detailed in the holy books of the Old Testament and the Quran. Well, yes, the God of the Old Testament is a pretty bloody God.
What to do?
If we stay: The sectarian violence will continue.
If we go: The sectarian violence will continue.
Since we have been there: Thousands of Iraqis, men, women, children, have been killed. Many by our bombs and bullets.
After we leave:Thousands of Iraqis, men, women, children, will be killed. Not, however, by our bombs and bullets.
When will it end? Not while we remain there.
What will Iraq look like? Not like the vision George W. Bush had when he waved his magic wand. It is most likely to look either like the old Iraq only now ruled over by Saddam Lite, or it will look like three mini-Iraqs, ruled by three "strongmen"; in a more-or-less-continuous state of conflict.
Can the United States influence the outcome? Only in terms of when it will end. The longer the occupying forces stay, the longer it will take.

Hindsight Bias!

Apparently, the neocon apologistas who have been claiming that "No One Could Have Forseen What Has Happened" have some cred with the "liberal-leftist" mainstream media. Or, maybe this is what happens when short attention spans banish memories of anything beyond the current fiscal year or some similar time marker. Appearing in the Washington Post, a news outlet I generally think well of, is this:

Washington Post: Iraq War Naysayers May Have Hindsight Bias

Such an incredibly tortured attempt to deny the facts that were so apparent before the attack on Iraq, and to claim that there were no voices trying to warn of the obvious (to me, anyway) wrongness, is a serious maiming of the record. So blatantly in error that I actually sent off, using a rather miffed tone admittedly, Letter-to-Editor of the Post:
"Editor, With all due respect, do you really believe that the million or so people who were marching to protest the then-imminent Disaster In Iraq in January of 2003 were exhibiting hindsight bias? In fact, I was marching in San Francisco not because, as the cynics were saying, because I was a naive simpleton peacenik. I said it at the time, and I say it again to you now; I was marching not because I thought it would prevent the disaster from happening - I was marching precisely to preserve my right later on to say 'I Told You So!'"

Originally posted on March 18, 2003

Over time I have sent the WaPost a number of letters. I think one was actually printed, but it was probably a slow news day. Enough said.