I’m on vacation!
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 21:32 - Category: Unfiled ;
I’m on vacation!
Just a quick one, 4 days in New England visiting family. I should be able to blog semi-regularly, assuming all the various pieces of software work correctly.
Archive for June 17th, 2004
Blood in the water
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:08 - Category: Unfiled ;
Blood in the water
Abu Ghraib scandal convulses U.S. military
Internecine warfare over the widening Iraq prison-abuse scandal is threatening to explode within the U.S. military, pitting brass against low-ranking grunts, regulars against reserves and unit against unit.
Gen. Karpinski: Gen. Miller ordered the torture
Gen. Miller: Gen. Karpinski is a liar
Enlistments and re-enlistments into the military must be way down now. Would you want to join an outfit where you might be ordered to torture? Can’t imagine many would. And now that generals are turning on each other in death matches, well, the repercussions from this will be felt all over DC and well as in the military.
Bush has no place left to run. His allies are vanishing. Attacks are coming from everywhere. Just like in Watergate, which seems like a quaint tea party compared to what’s happening now. These are dangerous times. Bush might well try something extreme in a desperate attempt to stay in power. However, the tide has absolutely turned and is flowing leftwards now. Let’s make sure it stays that way.
LA War posters
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:07 - Category: Unfiled ;
LA War posters
These have been popping up all over LA lately (based on the Apple iPod ads)
The CEO of Shell is…
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:06 - Category: Unfiled ;
The CEO of Shell is worried about global warming!
Attacks halt Iraq oil exports
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:05 - Category: Unfiled ;
Attacks halt Iraq oil exports
Iraq’s oil industry has been brought to a virtual standstill after several attacks by saboteurs on pipelines in the north and south of the country.
My favorite tell, the oil tanker stock NAT, was up 7% today. When oil markets get nervous, NAT goes up. It’s up 10% in two days - and yields an eye-popping 21% dividend. They own three tankers, which they lease, the floor rate being $17,000 a day. When things get weird or supplies get dicey, the rates can go to $25,000-35,000 a day. And their expenses stay the same.
Iraqi/US officials are saying damage to the pipelines will be fixed in a few days, but then they said that exact same thing last week and several pipeline explosions ago!
I’m glad my Prius gets 46 mpg! LAgasprices reports a low of $2.12 and a high of $2.59 for self-serve regular.
And the award for most the dumbest, most obvious headline of the day goes to the Houston Chronicle for this gem:
Someone actually got paid for writing that…
Practice paintball against US -…
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:03 - Category: Unfiled ;
Practice paintball against US - get life in prison
Three defendants, two of whom apparently did nothing worse than “train for holy war by playing paintball games”, and one who traveled to Pakistan to train, received very long sentences. Even the judge was appalled by the sentences she was mandated to give.
“To put it bluntly … had I been a Zionist Jew or a Christian training to fight [in Palestine], I would never have been charged with violating the Neutrality Act,” he said, referring to the seldom-used U.S. law that formed the basis for the government’s conspiracy charges.
Even the judge thought the sentences were way too extreme.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said the sentences were “draconian,” but she had no choice but to impose them under federal law.
“We have murderers who get far less time,” she said. “I’ve sent Al Qaeda members planning attacks on these shores to less time. This is sticking in my craw. Law and justice at times need to be in tune.”
UN official says Caterpillar may…
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:02 - Category: Unfiled ;
UN official says Caterpillar may be complicit in war crimes
A leading UN official has warned US manufacturer Caterpillar that it may be complicit in human rights violations in the West Bank and Gaza.
The company supplies armoured bulldozers to the Israeli army that are used to demolish Palestinian homes.
Caterpillar, of course, clucked they were shocked, just shocked that their “bulldozers” (which resemble tanks) are used to destroy Palestinian homes, and pretended anguish that they just have no control over what people do with their equipment. Hmm, well, if you build armored bulldozers that are designed to smash down homes, and someone then uses them to do just that, it seems to me you are a wee bit complicit, eh?
Green Party nomination
Bob Morris @ Jun 17th 2004 00:00 - Category: Unfiled ;
Green Party nomination
Via Progressive Review, which is edited by Sam Smith, a long time Green.
“Here’s the current delegate count for the Green Party:
Cobb 275
Camejo 117
Nader 73
Uncommitted 98
NOTA 43
No Nominee 48
Salzman 31
Mesplay 10.5
Other candidates 18.5
David Cobb is significantly short of the majority needed to win the nomination on the first ballot, opening the way to various disputations including an argument that the party should back both Cobb and Nader.”
