Still Workin' Plus Other Stuff

Yeah, I'm still working under deadline pressure. Trying to fix someone else's work is never fun.

This is going to be a two part post. The first is personal, the second blogganal(?)

First of all, we had something on the order of 38cm(15in.) of snow locally. That was yesterday. After spending a couple of hours digging out from this early season storm, I dug out some more.

An update on my mom's health. She's okay. As you may or may not know, she has hepatic lymphoma. After being poked, prodded, otherwise violated by the medical community, she is going in next week(this week to my European readers) to have the tumor excised, and radio-therapy is likely after that.

Needless to say, my blogging activities are going to be interrupted. I'll still make entries, but hey, she's my mother, and she comes first.

I expect to back at regular daily 'bs'ing around the turn of the new year.

Okay, enough gloom. Now for something a bit odd.

*********************************

If you're a news junkie - and living in the US - you couldn't help but hear the Right-Wing echo chamber railing against this so-called 'war on Christmas' being waged by the usual suspects on the left. The ACLU, homos, atheists, homo-atheists, et al.

As far as I know, it was started by Jerry Falwell(wish he'd fall down a well of stairs, the hateful bastid) and picked up by that all-spun shithead Bill O'Reilly.

As a strong agnostic I would welcome such a war. This is a war that I could personally get behind. Funny thing is, it doesn't exist.

It may be that Falwell hasn't fleeced his flock enough, and needs another chin for X-mas. You know, the guy's on another baseless fund raising drive. For the sake of the balance of this post, please accept this simple premise.

If that is true, how do Bill O, and the balance of the unbalanced justify joining the assault?

I don't think it's about money for O'Reilly and Co. I think it could be about something far more insidious. O'Reilly changed the subject at precisely the time the UNCCC(United Nations Conference for Climate Change) meetings were taking place in Montreal. Granted, this could be merely coincidental. I'm not even going to suggest any more than that.

But the timing is uncanny. You have a non-issue(the war on Christmas) being bandied about while the most vexing problem facing humankind is being debated in Montreal. It's no secret that the Bush administration and their foot soldiers consider global climate change a 'back-burner' issue at the most optimistic. Why not take it right out of the news cycle by appealing to American's emotions instead?

It's a helluva lot easier to get most Americans riled up about symbolic bullshit than it is to get the masses to seriously consider an issue where the data is still streaming in, and the modeling imperfect. It's becoming clear that if anything the models were too optimistic, and things are far more advanced than predicted.

Please do not leave comments suggesting that I'm declaring this as anything more than a thought experiment. I am not.

I would say that the thing which separates my notion here, and that of Falwell's and O'Reilly's is that mine is at least plausible. There's is pure fancy.

If this is being spun as war against X-tianity, or family values, or some other such nonsense, I'm not buying into that mound of steaming dung. That's likely the bait you're supposed to take. Admittedly, I should know this, but alas I do not. My television viewing time is nearing zero, and I do not read Right-Wing propaganda. That being said, I feel a sense that this how the Right is treating this ghost of an issue. Pay attention to the elephant in the room!

I'd love to end this on a humorous note, but that seems to be beyond me at the moment.

By the way, the Global Climate Change extravaganza that I promised earlier is still in the works.

Happy Solstice,

todd

W Saves

Letting babies use a dummy while they are sleeping may reduce the risk of cot death - sudden infant death syndrome - a study suggests today.

Researchers in California, writing in the journal BMJ Online First, gave the results of questioning mothers or carers of 185 babies who died and 312 other parents, reopening the debate about the role of dummies.

The risk of death from SIDS may be decreased by 30% when a Tom Cruise doll is used as a sleepmate. Asked for comment, researcher Dr. Bunsen "Burner' Highdome said, "It's not clear that Mr. Cruise is intellectually challenged, but he does harbor some very odd beliefs." Dr. Highdome further noted similar observations with John Travolta and Kirstie Alley dummies.

A more startling revelation was that when George W Bush plush toys were selected as cribmates, the resultant decrease in mortality was on the order of 90%. Dr. De-Kun Li, the lead researcher, declined our request for comment.

The White House however, did respond to our request for comment. Vice President Richard B. Cheney responded by saying, "Hell yes I think it works. I dare not even take a quick nap without my 'Little George'™. It's the best life insurance a guy can get." We pressed VP Cheney about the efficaciousness of the therapy on infants, and he responded, "Infants? Who cares. As long as it works for me, I could care less about those damned non-productive rug rats - especially the brown ones."

That's your pure bs health report for December 9, 2005. Back to you, Bob.

******************************************

The above was intended as political humor. Any resemblance to persons living, dead, or nearly dead, is purely intententional.

Sorry 'Bout That

..The lack of any entries yesterday, that is.

Today is weird as well. I may not be able to make any entries until later this evening. I took on some outside contract work, and I'm under deadline pressure to fix a problem.

Since I have until Monday AM to finish the project, this weekend could be a bit lite as well.

Bin Laden, Refined

It seems as though another dispatch has been received from al-Zawahiri calling on the mujahideen to concentrate their attacks on oil assets.

Today, oil futures are down on supply figures in what has to be a personal slight against bin Laden to move the markets as he once did.

On the other hand, if concerted attacks occur against oil producing Muslim counties, or other types of attacks in the same countries may have the effect of lifting oil prices.

Now for the interesting part of the story. Right at the end of the article we have this:

A book of interviews with people who know bin Laden reveal he vowed never to be taken alive and once gave his bodyguard a pistol with two bullets to shoot him if it appeared he might be caught. The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History by CNN security expert Peter Bergen also claims bin Laden intensely dislikes deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

That bin Laden hates Saddam hardly comes as a shock, but the suicide pact is interesting.

The Koran seems clear about the suicide issue. From public sources:

Suicide and Martyrdom

The Koran makes it very clear that suicide is forbidden: 4:29.

But it states several times that the martyr can expect an afterlife in
paradise: they are "alive" (3:169), and have a blessed afterlife: 3:170-174,22:58.

This certainly lends credence to the oft-stated meme that bin Laden's version of Islam is a perverted one. Although I am certain that in bin Laden's mind he is at war, and his death under these conditions would please Allah. Maybe. Okay, so it might be a stretch.

*************************************

UPDATE: The BBC is now reporting that the bin Laden/Zawahiri video tape was received by al-Jazeera in September. So, one of the big themes the media picked up on - that ObL survived the Afghan quake - is still unknown.

Eco-Post Day 2

This last weekend's Independent carried an article with a provocative headline, and a clear message. If you follow the link, you'll find the piece titled: "What planet are you on, Mr Bush? (and do you care, Mr Blair?)"

It's a sternly worded piece that is not available to non-subscribers.

The essential theme of the piece is that we are now in the grip of global climatic change, and that without the co-operation of the US, China, India, Brazil and others in the establishment of a new set of protocols once Kyoto expires in 2012, we're pretty much f&cked.

I'll offer the following points concerning indisputable, measureable facts about what is happening to our climate right now.

I'll toss them in a little bulleted blockquote for easy digestion:

• GLOBAL MELTDOWN


Across the planet, rising temperatures are taking their toll


• CARBON DIOXIDE


New research has found that levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - the main cause of global warming - are higher than at any time in the past 625,000 years.


• HOTTEST EVER


This year is expected to be the warmest ever recorded; 1998 was the hottest so far, but the past three years currently occupy the next three places.


• DESERTIFICATION


The giant Kalahari desert, already four times the size of Britain, threatens to become larger still, covering farmland in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.


• EXPANDING OCEANS


The level of the world's seas and oceans is rising twice as fast as in the past, as their waters expand in rising temperatures and glaciers melt.


• OCEAN EXILES


The people of the Carteret Islands, a scattering of atolls off Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific, have started to leave as their homes succumb to rising seas.


• HURRICANES


Hurricane Epsilon - the 14th of the year - is forming in the Atlantic, even though the worst recorded hurricane season by far formally ended on Wednesday.


• GLACIER MELT


Greenland glaciers have suddenly started racing towards the sea and melting. Much the same is beginning to happen to glaciers in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.


• WATER SHORTAGE


Areas such as the western USA, which depend on mountain snows for their water supplies, are running short as less snow falls - and what does fall melts earlier.


• DISAPPEARING SPECIES


Sealife and birdlife have declined catastrophically this year along America's north-west Pacific coast, after a similar meltdown in the North Sea.


• CORAL REEFS


Corals on the Great Barrier Reef are bleaching out and dying as sea temperatures rise and scientists fear that the whole reef may perish by 2050.

Tomorrow's environmental installment will cover the popular movement to alter the politics of global climate change, and dis-honor those countries that are unwilling to at least try to do something to save the planet's climate and ecosystems.

Faux News..Spins Awayyy!

In further evidence that political humor writes itself, Fauk Snooze is reporting that Tommy 'The Dollar Cleanser' DeLay might have a wee bit of a struggle getting his old job back on The Hill. However, if you were unaware of the money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges DeLay faces, Focks never hints at the charges in this splendidly misleading headline: DeLay's Bid to Reclaim Former Leadership Post Uncertain

Indeed. His main concern ought to be the acquisition of mass amounts of soap-on-a-rope.

Condi Unedited

Speaking in Germany earlier today, Dr. Rice cast this pearl of wisdom:

"We recognise any policy will sometimes result in errors, and when it happens, we will do everything we can to rectify it."

She was of course responding to allegations of torture and secret CIA prisons.

I needn't go through the litany of errant policies put forth by the Bush administration that have not been addressed.

I think I should inform the reader that I have nothing personal against Ms. Rice. It's simply the fact that she is part of the Bush cabal that has done such a miserable job at governing this country over the last five years.

I'm pretty certain that she's smart enough to do a good job as Sec. of State, but she seems to have no will of her own. She is a hopeless partisan.

All one need do is read her testimony bfore the 9/11 Commission when she was Bush's National Security Advisor to see that she has issues with straight talk, but not toeing scripted lines.

Rice's Big Gap

From the IHT via the NYT(sounds very hip-hop) this article illustrates the various obstacles that the US needs to overcome in order to claim any sort of moral high ground.

I should state that I have been very skeptical of any and all claims from the WH. The CIA has been much more frank about their business.

They spy. They do some things that we'd rather not ever know about. So would the CIA. But it is what it is. I have a lot of respect for the individual agents working for the 'Agency.'

However, some of their schemes have turned out to have very negative effects for the US, and the world at large. Saddam's coup and support of ObL are currently the most newsworthy folks propped up by various means in the name of defeating the spread of Communism.

Shorter CIA: Good people, sometimes questionable policy.

Getting to the IHT article. I'm just going to mine the article for quotes to illustrate the issues with which Dr. Rice is contending. Without further ado:

Did anybody believe her on this Continent, aroused as rarely before by a crescendo of reports about secret prisons, CIA flights, allegation of torture and "renditions" of prisoners to third countries so they can be tortured there?

"Yes, I did," Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a conservative member of the German Parliament, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "The thing I believe is that the United States does obey international law, and Mrs. Merkel said that she believes it, too."

"What's important is that the balance between democratic principles and secret services needs to be maintained," zu Guttenberg said. "I take it as a reaching out of the hand when she says mistakes have happened and we have to rectify them."

Two things:

1) Why is it that partisans are always ready to publicly believe even those that they surely must know to be serial liars?

2) I totally agree with the last part of zu Guttenberg's assessment. Spies need to be able to spy, but there is a line that needs to be drawn that is only crossed in the most extreme of circumstances.

From the Left:

"I think what she means is, 'We don't use it[torture, secret detention] as an official way to do things, but we don't look at what is done in other countries,"' said Monika Griefahn, a Social Democratic member of Parliament, referring to Rice's comment on torture. "And that's the problem for us."

I'd have to agree that this is essentially the point that Rice has made, and is going to continue to make. The bigger problem for me is the almost 'non-coverup'. The Administration seemed to be weighing the level of political fall-out while not addressing European concerns. Kind of a 'let's see just how bad this gets before we stick a toe in the water.'

The European view, by contrast, is that they understand the terrorist threat perfectly well, but the Bush administration's flouting of democratic standards and international law incites more terrorism, not less. It is not certain that Rice changed many minds on that score in her recent statements.

"She didn't reassure anybody," François Heisbourg, special counselor at the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris, said in a telephone interview. "She just spouted a kind of 'the end justifies the means' argument, and 'we have saved lives.'

"You should at least bring proof of that," Heisbourg said, "citing at least one example of an aborted attack."

It is unclear just how many attacks the US(worldwide?) WoT has prevented. The US press has reported as few as 10 attacks prevented, and as many as 100(many of these being in the planning stage). Of course the press only amplifies the WH's message. The numbers and all other details are national security secrets.

Lastly, from the center, an American's view.

"The Europeans' lack of realism is a big problem, but I'm also frustrated with the inability of the United States to behave like a successful big power," said John Kornblum, a former American ambassador to Germany, now director of the investment bank Lazard-Frères in Germany.

"The Europeans do have this propensity," he continued, referring to the propensity to put the worst possible interpretation on American actions, "but unfortunately, we have given credibility to that sort of behavior."

(much more at link)

And that, my dear readers is Ms. Rice's uphill battle.

No Evidence, No Investigation!

Surely the Poles must know the logical fallacy here. In this AP report from Warsaw, the Polish "Justice Ministry"(Orwell would kill for this) announced that without prior evidence that there would be no investigation into alleged CIA 'black-sites' in Poland.

Political humor that writes itself. If this isn't fawning to the US, then I do not know what is..?? Help me!

As we reported last night, ABC reported via CIA contacts that two Secret prisons were shut down in Eastern Europe last month.

On the other hand, Romanian officals called for an investigation into the secret centers, while also declaring that there was no evidence for their existence.

The Polish declaration is full of carefully worded legalese. I know how serious this subject is, but it's fascinating to see relatively new governments acting just like the Old Guard.

They've taken pages right out of the Bush playbook as well as that of the USSR.

Meet the new boss...

Read, learn and marvel.

The hypocrisy runs deeper than a Soviet nuclear sub ;)

Behind the Curve

As you're likely aware, the 'National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States' AKA the '9/11 Commission,' recently issued a report giving the US preparedness against a future terrorist attack a series of grades. Your leadership has failed you....Miserably.

The LA Times provides lots of detail while we steal the report card. The grades are:

A minus: Making efforts with other countries to crack down on terrorist financing.

B: Finding a balance at home between security and civil liberties.

C: Getting private businesses to be prepared to respond in case of an emergency.

D: Making improvements in screening checked bags and cargo on flights.

F: Helping emergency agencies acquire radios and other equipment that would let them communicate with each other during a disaster.

Incomplete: Revamping the CIA, including improvements in its use of human intelligence operations.

Thank you, Bush voters.

On a happier note, as widely reported, the ban on certain sharp objects allowed in air travel has been lifted by the Transportation Security Administration Ironic, no?

Clean Up Your Act!

Here is the first of the four articles that I lost in cyberspace during one of Blogger's haywire moments.

From the NYT comes an article about the failures of Kyoto, and what may lie in the future. The US' and Australia's failure to sign on, as well as exemptions to the two countries that have both the the largest populations, and rapid industrial growth rates - India and China - foretell of something more dramatic in the offing.

The only options open to us as a species at the present are to dramatically cut greenhouse emissions now. The technological challenges of geological carbon sequestration are not insoluble, but are not ready for use on the scale necessary to halt global climate change at present.

Kyoto was a terrific first mis-step. Most peoples around the globe realized that the time was nigh for a planet wide policy for reducing greenhouse emissions. But it was a mis-step.

Let us hope that by the end of 2006, we will have supplanted it with something with much more teeth(no, not like the entire Osmond family ;)

If we do not take care of our planet, then our planet will surely take care of us.

The gun is at our collective heads, a round is in the chamber and the hammer is cocked - what we do at this juncture will determine if we are seen as saviors, or there will be no one left to read our history.

I know it's a bit heavy on the drama, but climate change is not isolated to changes in the oft-cited things like rise in sea level, desertification, etc. It will have dramatic consequences for things as widely disparate as diseases of global reach to geo-political upheaval as hot, dry countries covet the resources of those experiencing less effect.

Don't take a tree-hugging lefty's word for it, here's the DoD's observations.

Go gentle reader, now go, and reduce your carbon footprint!

UPDATE: Because of time..well, essentially sleep issues, I can rewrite no more than one of these per day. Hence I'll be re-releasing one per day over the next four days.

Condi Admits to 'Black Sites'

I only caught a moment of this as I do not watch network news. ABC claims to have much more on tonight's Nightline.

I'd record it, but my home brewed DVR just puked it's HDD. I don't have a handy replacement.

If anyone knows where I can get a copy of the program, or a transcript, I'll be forever in their debt.

Update: link and details here.

Gotcha!

Tom DeLay's Family Values

Besides being a serial dickhead, Tommy's in troubbbbble!!

His GOP friendly judge, the honorable Pat Priest today upheld The Hammer's really serious charge of money laundering, while dismissing the lesser charge of conspiracy.

Money laundering. The domain of cocaine cartel overlords and Texas Republicans. What strange bedfellows rampant criminality makes(apologies to W. Shakespeare)

All Humor is Political

Today's pic. begging for a caption comes courtesy of Time magazine online. Please do not take this the wrong way. All I'm trying to allude to here is why the US has to jettison our Sec. of State to Europe looking a bit forlorn.

The evidence:Link to Photo

Can't we afford to give Condi a makeover? From her deeply furrowed brow to her, bloodshot eyes, through to her petroleum stained bicuspids(or is that from 'chewing?') the woman just looks worn out.

My take. We'll spend a half-tillion dollars fighting wars of 'option'. We'll provide billions in tax relief for corporations sending jobs overseas, but we can't get our ambassador of good-will a decent tooth whitening? This is simply unacceptable.

Kee-rist, Bush sent her over to Europe to assuage their fears that we're a band of torturers. The man should have saved a grand to get her a proper look for a diplomat.

U-N-C-L-E

The Village Voice offers up the facts in the ongoing torture war between the sane, and the insane.

As has been pointed out here, and I'm certain by numerous others, the way we treat our prisoners, detainees what have you, is certain to have an impact on the way in which our captives are treated. Since our spy network and militaries are the largest in the known universe, you can see how profound the implications are likely to be.

The Voice copped my headline. "Who'll Break First?" is definitely a pure bs kinda headline.

It's a good primer on the ongoing debate. I'm no fan of John "Keating Five" McCain, but I am thoroughly in his court on this issue. The piece is worth a read for some of the absurd said by people that should know better, but appararently do not.

The stammering Krauthammer offers up a gem that must be read.

Follow all the links for the complete background. No. Just do it.

Missing Post Message

Just a note on my missing environmental posts. There are 4..Yes, 4!

Since I am 9mi.(14.5Km) from my source material, and my employer(the bastids!) probably feels that it is more important to have me here working on arcane mathematics than blogging, it may be a day before I can get them rewritten and posted.

I checked all the usual suspects in Blogger/Pyra/Google and they are simply not there. They did publish as advertised(according to the software), but alas no confirming evidence remains.

Woe is me. I'll not complain though, as this gives me time to really put down my thoughts in good order.

If this post seems like a lot of blather, I understand. However, the environment is the most important issue, political or not facing all of us today.

Legal Parsing, Courtesy of Condi

WaPo just released the transcript of Ms. Rice's pre-flight 'remarks.'

Again, she presses the fear button, and there is a lot more here than in the WaPo summary below.

It appears that her trip will consist of a re-definition of torture, and why we have to breach international law in order to get the bad guys.

By all appearances she'll also trot out a minor revision of the "you're either with us or against us in the fight against terror" balloon first uttered by GWB in November of 2001.

In all, it appears that she'll do her job as National Propandist, and toe the Cheney line.

Don't take my word for it. Read her statemant and make up your own minds.

You can't be concerned with the old, tired concepts on international law when there are bad guys out there.

Update: Time has just weighed in with far less than what we've given you. However, the most unflattering photo of Ms. Rice is sure to bring comment.

More on Rice's Non-admission

WaPo has the latest on Rice's pre-flight grilling, and her answers are most telling.

Oh yeah. The Link

She's sticking to Cheney's message awfully well.

A few things that jumped out from the Post's article are these:

Rice asserted that the U.S. does not transport terrorism suspects "for the purpose of interrogation using torture" and "will not transport anyone to a country when we believe he will be tortured."

How do you not parse this to mean that while we try to transport suspected persons(note the use of "he") to places where they will not be tortured, we can't always be sure that this is the case?"The U.S. does not permit, tolerate or condone torture under any circumstances," she said, and does not transport and has not transported detainees from one country to another "for the purpose of interrogation using torture."Really. She obviously needs to be introduced to Richard B. Cheney. I hear that the guy thinks torture a real hoot. By the way, Condoleezza, nobody's buying what you're selling here. You're sure to get a warm reception in Europe when spewing garbage like this.

She said that "where appropriate, the U.S. seeks assurances that transferred persons will not be tortured."

My favorite one liner, which contains the curious phrase: "Where appropriate."

How quaint a notion. When is it inappropriate to ensure that we send people not convicted of a crime to places where torture is routinely practiced?

Any violation of detention standards is investigated and punished, she said, citing the case of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison that "sickened us all" and the abuse of detainee by an intelligence agency contractor in Afghanistan.

Hey, we've seen how "sickened" Dick Cheney and - as much as I hate to point it out - our people guarding these individuals were.

She said that international law allows a country to detain a suspect for the "duration of hostilities," but that the U.S. "does not hold anyone longer than necessary to evaluate evidence against them."

(much more at link)Tell that to the people still held in the legal black hole that is Guantanamo Bay. I have no time for your non-admissions, Ms. Rice.

Add'l: Somehow my entries from yesterday are missing. I'll have to reconstrict them, and make new postings. They were a series of environmental posts. They are in my usual stilted, clipped fashion, but I'll re-enter them regardless!

Correction: At the beginning of this entry, I penned: "WaPo has the latest on Rice's pre-flight grilling..." This is incorrect. These are the higlights from a prepared statement. I did not alter my post to reflect my error. I'll let this correction serve as notice that I am aware of my mis-step. Sorry for any mis-conceptions this may have caused.