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Tuesday, August 31, 2004

BACK IN (CONRAD) BLACK
Newspaper mogul Lord Conrad Black, publisher of the Jerusalem Post, Chicago Sun-Times, and formerly the Telegraph of London, is accused of stealing over $400 million from his company. In addition, notable figures like Jim Thompson (Illinois's worst governor since Altgeld) and Richard Perle (according to the libs, a Likud Conspirator) have been faulted for not spotting this during an audit of the company.

This is another sad day for a man who was once well-respected among conservative intellectual circles. He also drags down a number of Republicans with him, like Thompson and Perle. His malfeasance, if proven by court of law, will be a black eye for the global conservative movement.

LOST MY KEYES
As much as I respect Alan Keyes, I think he is running a poor campaign. He cares too much about being a moral crusader (particularly on the abortion issue) and not enough on the economy, gun rights, or national defense (where opponent Barack Obama is vulnerable.)

Now he's gone off the deep end with a very harsh criticism, via satellite radio, of Mary Cheney. Yes, she is a lesbian, and no, we do not have to believe that is a morally responsible lifestyle. Yet Mary Cheney is a fellow conservative, and the sum total of her life should form the basis of our judgement of her rather than simply her orientation.

Alan Keyes and other Christian Coalition types should bury the hatchet with Log Cabin Republicans. We should rally around the right of states to make their own laws on same-sex marriage, and all conservatives should stick together to make sure that our man Bush is elected instead of the war-protesting, phony-hero, botox-abusing gigolo.

THE ELDER STATESMAN
Another freshman decided to engage me in conversation over dinner. Maybe it's the uniform that makes people respect my observations about this university. By now I'm flattered that so many young people actually want my advice. Woo-hoo!

Monday, August 30, 2004

MY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
The day began at 5:15 AM in preparation for a 5:30 class. Much confusion ensued as to whether this class was in the Instructional Center (IC) or the fieldhouse (which we call "the ICI center.") I wish somebody could clear up the name confusion once and for all.

In younger days I would probably have complained to high heaven about such an early class. But my outlook over the past two years has changed. In this era of deployments to the Green Zone and involuntary recall, a 5:30 class, once per semester, can't be too bad.

The other classes all had their amusing moments. Design class was cancelled because the prof was at a conference with nobody to cover for him. Prof. Weavil took offense when I began nodding off in his materials class. It wasn't boring at all; I wish he could have known how little sleep I got that morning. The prof for Control Systems just arrived in Daytona yesterday and didn't know what he was teaching until then. So far, he seems like a good prof, but we're only on the topic of complex numbers.

Dinner got weird (by my standards) when a freshwoman randomly sat across from me and tried to get my impressions and advice about Riddle. I believe that the Captain would be pleased that I was able to have a conversation with a total stranger.

Entertainment was provided by hypnotist Tom DeLuca in the ICI Center (or is that the fieldhouse?) Whenever he hypnotizes people, he brings out their most base and lecherous instincts. It proved to be raucous, R-rated fun.

Sunday, August 29, 2004

BOUNCY, BOUNCY
Dan Rather is reporting a rumor that President Bush may see a six to ten point bounce in the polls after this week's GOP convention. It's not going to happen. Why? The nation's mind is already made up. People have picked their sides, and few voters are undecided. The key is for this convention to energize Republican voters so they hit the polls in bigger numbers than Democratic voters. Indeed, the key to winning national elections has always been picking a mainstream, electable candidate and then mobilizing your base.

Coming out of the DNC, John Kerry got a small, perhaps even nonexistant, bounce. Over the weeks that followed, his lead was squandered and has fallen slightly behind in most polls. He's even trailing in the tight Ohio race, although he still looks good in Florida. If either candidate can win both Florida and Ohio, they will have won the race.

Dan Rather's talk serves to create a false impression that may serve his agenda of demoralizing Bush voters when the unrealistic bounce doesn't materialize.

Saturday, August 28, 2004

HOMEWARD BOUND
What is so hard about saying goodbye to your home? Plenty. Yet I find myself doing that, worrying about the family I leave behind to finish my educational journey.

I got back to school from the airport just fine, after rousting poor Dave from his rest. There is way too much to unpack, leaving me to believe that the lessons of packing lightly from my scouting days have been forgotten.

HORROR IN RUSSIA
My heart is heavy with grief for the good people who were killed in the twin plane crashes in Russia. For them, we must investigate the crashes fully. If foul play is truly at work, we must all work together to bury the evildoers.

As much as I despise Vladimir Putin and his crooked cronies, I will support practically any offensive by the Russians against those who sponsored the bombing, probably Islamic militants in Chechnya. As Nikita Khrushchev once said, "We will bury you." May the Chechen militants be buried.

JOHN KERRY VERSUS THE TRUTH
The "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign is taking a toll on John Kerry. This has all the trappings of a Kerry implosion, as the ads would not get that much attention if Kerry did not make as much noise about them as he has. The ads are also hurting Kerry in some demographics, such as the veterans' vote.

The ads are not unprecedented. Does anybody remember the way Democratic operatives attacked Oliver North's silver star during the 1994 Senate campaign? Turnabout is fair play, especially in politics.

The campaign is an extension of John O'Neill's anti-Kerry campaign from the early 70's, when he tried to reclaim the honor of Vietnam veterans in the face of John Kerry's lies. The bad blood between the two, and its modern-day incarnation, underscores the real point of the ads: John Kerry has suddenly rediscovered his pride in the handful of medals he hurled over a fence. Kerry's supporters want to cast him as an American war hero, while his enemies know that he gave far more aid to the Vietnamese communist cause than the American one.

The upside for Kerry is that Bush is caving to him. Two members of his campaign who collaborated with the swift vets have stepped down, and if any more are out there, they too will be released. However, none of Kerry's staffers who have helped MoveOn.org or Michael Moore have resigned. Republicans are too willing to follow "rules" that Democrats don't. Politics is not a gentleman's game, and it should not be treated that way.

CAN THE RECOVERY LAST?
With sagging sales of autos and reduced vehicle production at some plants, serious questions about economic recovery are raised. Auto sales are a key bellweather of the economy. When President Bush got his tax cut for people who buy large vehicles, I saw the wisdom in this (despite the complaints of environmentalists.) Just like my old boss Leroy, people will take advantage of this and buy expensive vehicles. It now looks like these tax breaks are losing their potency.

Hopefully the auto decline can be linked to rising fuel costs rather than a recovery that is running out of steam. If the allegations of Bob Woodward in "Plan of Attack" are true, the Saudis should be ramping up production right now. Do you hear that, Prince Bandar bin Sultan?

Monday, August 23, 2004

MAKING A MICHIGAN LEFT
Yesterday I helped Iron Mike move into his dorm at Michigan State. Most importantly, I reduced the workload on his dad's weary back and knees. We had dinner at BD's Mongolian Barbecue (the restaurant of restaurants) and a good time was had on the drive up and back.

The supply cost of this excursion was missing my brother's trip to the University of Illinois. Should I have helped take the load off my dad's own weary knees? Lord knows my mother would never help him out, although my brother's excess muscle may have come in handy. I would have appreciated the time spent with my dad, but the hostility I have with Mother and Brother would not have been good for my health.

CLEAN SWEEP
I started over again with my computer. I was unable to put on Windows Me (apparently it has hangups about writing over Windows NT and its descendants, 2000 and XP.) Instead I wiped the hard drive clean and did a fresh install of XP. Disappointingly, XP takes up over a gig of hard drive space. Still, the excess baggage is gone now and my laptop is noticeably faster.

NO AIRSHOW FOR YOU
This is the first weekend since 1995 that I missed the Chicago Air and Water Show. The show is always excellent every year. I miss the roar of B-1's, I miss the voice of announcer Herb "I love aerial refueling" Hunter, I miss the acrobatics and the drone of the piston engines, and I miss an F-15 punching holes in the sky to the tune of Van Halen music. Living at Riddle has spoiled me.

WINGS OVER JAPAN
I often read the Chicago Libune's "Perspective" section to get my blood boiling. Sunday was no exception, as an anti-free-trade piece suggesed that Boeing's team with Japanese industry on the Dreamliner represents an export of "sensitive airplane wing technology" and jobs to Japan.

A sensitive technology transfer? Maybe, but it's not like it hasn't happened before. Japanese industries have built the F-4 Phantom, F-15 Eagle, and an F-16 derivative (the Japanese F-2) under license. Maybe I don't know enough about this area, but I would assume that airliner wing technology has progressed little beyond the complex flap / slat systems developed for the 707 and 727. The research and design of the wing will still occur in the US.

On the flip side of the free-trade argument, the Japanese wing agreement secured All Nippon Airways as the launch customer for the new jet, which promises to be a best-seller. Boeing is essentailly building a "coalition of the willing" to combat the pan-European Airbus. Totally unrestricted trade is destructive to native industries, but excessive restrictions will result in a stagnant and lazy domestic industry that is uncompetitive in the export market. With the Boeing Company's fate riding on the success of the new jet, it is important to let its development continue with Japanese and Italian industry on the project.

KERRY LOGIC
In a speech on Friday, John Kerry blamed the Bush tax cuts for the loss of jobs. Huh?

Tax cuts, if done correctly, can give businesses (particularly small ones) more available capital to use in hiring employees and giving them health care (granted that John Edwards doesn't sue the doctors out of existence.) I'd like to see him explain to anybody other than an audience of the most jaded Bush-haters why people would get fired because their bosses got a tax cut.

IRAQIS IN SPACE?
If Iraq is to survive as a nation, it will need nationalism to replace the fear that held the factions together. Getting Iraq's soccer team into Olympic medal contention is one step, and I hope they can earn a medal. But it will not be enough. Perhaps it is time for...
Iraqis in space!

The US let a Saudi prince fly on the space shuttle in 1985, and his nation treated him like a hero. He had to wear his astronaut flight suit when he returned home because of popular demand, against the king's wishes. The Soviets also flew an Afghan cosmonaut, and his quick reflexes and presence of mind saved the mission from complete disaster.

If there is any Iraqi space program, it is unknown whether the Iraqi astronaut(s) will fly on a US space shuttle (which will fly 4-5 times a year, and is operated by the infidel occupiers) or a Russian Soyuz (flies twice a year, and is operated by the whore-ocracy that propped up Saddam during the sanctions period.)

DA BEARS
After two games, it's time to assess the Chicago Bears. Two wins are good, but will they translate into regular season success?

For starters, Lovie Smith is trying to occupy the same spot that Coach Ditka did in our hearts. From the outset, he looks like a coach who keeps an even strain. Under the surface, he is a man who genuinely cares, whether it be the way he cares about the game of football, the way he cares about his players, or the way he cared for his L.D. students.

The defense looks quicker, and their new pass rusher from Miami should make it even better.

On offense, Rex Grossman is clearly the man, although Jonathan Quinn also looks good at QB. The young receivers look OK, but the running backs will carry the day. There is incredible depth in the running game between Thomas Jones, Adrian Peterson, Brock Forsey, and even Anthony Thomas. Wide Receiver Marty Booker will be missed as this Bears team looks very different from their 2001-2 playoff team.

Thursday, August 19, 2004

CRUISIN' USA
I had a pretty good evening. I spent time with some good friends at a car show and got to ride in their '71 Chevelle. Sweet...

NO DEALS, MOQTADA
The Iraqi government is making a huge mistake by trying to negotiate with Moqtada al Sadr. As we've learned from the three broken truces, al Sadr's goal is not peace; it is buying more time and some protection for his under-armed, poorly-trained militia. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

The time for negotiations is over. al Sadr must be killed or captured and his militia must be evicted from the Imam Ali mosque. al Sadr's demands, namely that religious authorities replace the Iraqi authorities in Najaf and that Iyad Allawi resign, reveal that al Sadr's only interest is Islamic government in Iraq. He doesn't have much to offer in negotiations, aside from the thousand or so militiamen who shamefully hold the mosque hostage.

The solution now is to send Iraqi security forces into the mosque and flush the fighters out. Lots of tear gas and other nonlethal weapons would work, with some difficulty; pulling a "Noriega" and driving them out by playing Van Halen music non-stop (or other forms of psychological warfare) might do the trick. A covert campaign to marginalize the militia (like false stories about al Sadr's lechery and un-Islamic atrocities being committed by the militia) will be essential to fracturing any popular support al Sadr has garnered.

AN END TO THE COLD WAR?
The people who complain about the "American Empire" and "American Hyperpower" have had their arguments undercut by a decision to bring 70,000 military personnel home, predominantly from Germany, South Korea, and Japan.

In the efforts to build a leaner, meaner armed forces, it's important to position soldiers, airmen, and Marines in places where they are effective. and avoid places where they are not. By closing half the bases in Europe, the military is taking an appropriate response to a Soviet threat that is no longer viable. Our realignment in South Korea shows a smarter strategy at work compared to the idiotic decision to sacrifice 37,000 Americans as a trip wire in a North Korean strike.

The move sends a message to our erstwhile, fair-weather "allies" in Germany and South Korea that alliances work in both directions. If they do not support the United States, the United States will not pump money into their countries.

THE MOST DANGEROUS LIE
The most irksome people in the world are those who sit back and spout conspiracy theories about the events of September 11th, 2001. What is so hard to believe about nineteen Islamic militants hijacking four jets and destroying three buildings?

Some 911 conspiracy theories stem from distrust of government. Although we should always be questioning whether our government is doing the best thing for the country, could anybody believe that our government would be so malicious as to kill 3,000 of its own citizens?

The other 911 conspiracy theories are the "Great Jewish Conspiracy / Likud Conspiracy" type that grow out of anti-Semitism. These theories are hateful and just as dangerous as the paranoid fear of our own government. These theories should be exiled to the fantasy land that Lyndon LaRouche has been living in.

Monday, August 16, 2004

MICROSOFT WATCH
I fixed my computer again. I reinstalled Windows XP for a second time, but I found out that the trick was to use the "fixmbr" command in the Windows recovery console. Another classic case of me leaping into action without reading the help files.

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW?
My home away from home was hit by Hurricane Charley. I hope that everyone made it through OK and that I have a dorm and school to go back to.

I wonder what impact the hurricane will have on this tight election. Will Floridians rally around their governor, and transfer some of that good will to the governor's brother? Will they flock to Sen. Kerry after perceiving the president as unresponsive? In an election this tight, any small intangibles will have a huge impact.

THE THREE FORBIDDEN CONVERSATIONS
One lesson I was taught long ago (and did not put into practice until recently) is that there are three conversation subjects that will never win you friends: sex, politics, and religion. Of these three, the second has caused me much trouble.

When I was younger, I thought that bashing Slick Willy and Stiff Al made for great conversation. The problem with this is that a lot of people did not share my generally negative opinion of the "dynamic duo" and did not find my views insightful or funny. I eventually learned to hold my tongue. Come 2001, and I get a president that shares much more common ground with me than the previous one. However, I often found myself in situations where people thought it was fun to bash Bush. At first I tried to defend my commander in chief, but now I simply hold my tongue. I try to discuss my beliefs only when in the presence of my conservative friends.

The problem is that my family, on both my mother's and father' side, has no such discretion on matters of politics. Whenever I go to a fmily get-together, I get dropped in the middle of a Bush gangbang. Perhaps my family has been inbred into a conglomerate of clods, but they fail to realize that, despite media reports to the contrary, not everybody hates President Bush. At times it seems that my father is my only political ally.

DON'T BE A NADER HATER
How often do I agree with Ralph Nader? I strangely find myself in that position with his recent praise for Southwest Airlines, the unofficial airline of his campaign. He attributes the success of Southwest to the relatively low salary garnered by the airline's CEO. Although there are plenty of other factors contributing to Southwest's success, their CEO is part of it. He is not afraid to interact with his employees, and his reduced salary leaves more money for hiring the appropriate number of employees and giving shareholders a better piece of the dividends.

SUNDAY FUNNIES
One area in which the Chicago Tribune (a.k.a the "Libune") is improving is its comics. Aside from "Dilbert," there really wasn't anything worth reading in the comics section. All of the satirical comics, like "Doonesbury," "Boondocks," and "Candorville" ranged from liberal to radical. Even non-satirical strips like "Get Fuzzy" have delved into making political statements.

Yet hope has arrived. First we have "Prickly City," a conservative satire from Scott Stantis (formerly from "The Buckets.") We also have the non-satirical, but very funny, comic called "Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!" The tradeoff is that one of my old favorites, Mike Peters's "Mother Goose and Grimm," was dropped.

Friday, August 13, 2004

ADVENTURES
I screwed up my computer again, this time by disabling Boot Magic and losing my ability to boot Windows XP. I used to use LILO as my boot loader, but apparently it's been corrupted. I'm working with the Windows recovery console to see if I can make things better, but I may just screw them up in the process.

COMMENTARY
The Najaf offensive begins with a bang as US and Iraqi forces surround the Imam Ali mosque and bomb the house of Shiite theocrat Moqtada al Sadr. As much as I enjoyed seeing al Sadr's house being bombed, I am fearful that our actions in Najaf (particularly if there is any damage to the mosque) could make al Sadr into a martyr and galvanize the Shiites against us and the provisional government. The al Mahdi army is creating mass destrution in other Shiite bastions, and some members of Iraq's police force are joining in the chaos. I would have preferred to seal off the city (as we did during late April through early June) and choke the city economically until people begin to view the Shiite militias as the enemy. I'm skeptical about the reports of al Sadr being wounded, as his aides may be trying to win him some sympathy. I'm also worried about the fate of a reporter for the Telegraph newspaper who was kidnapped by al Sadr's goons in Basra.


The struggle over Porter Goss becomes more interesting. Michael Moore apparently has footage of Goss admitting that he is not qualified to work for the CIA. As is the case with anything associated with Michael Moore, it is important to take this info in its original context. Goss was admitting that he doesn't have the linguistics skills for the CIA's middle east work, among other skills necessary for an operational agent. Yet these skills are unnecessary for somebody who is actually the boss of the agency. After all, George Tenet probably does not speak Arabic or Farsi or Urdu.I understand the Democrats' criticisms that the Director of Central Intelligence should be above politics, but we should also dismiss this as a foolishly optimistic requirement. It is true that the only DCI who served previously in the House was George H.W. Bush. But all people are political animals with their own biases. For example, former DCI James Woolsey called himself a Democrat, yet he denounced Bill Clinton when he resigned, endorsed Bob Dole in 1996, and espouses the idea that the west is engaged in World War IV with the Sunni militants, Shiite militants, and secular Arab nationalists.If Porter Goss is shot down, it will be a setback but still not devastating. There are plenty of good DCI candidates out there, like Richard Armitage. I wish James Woolsey could come back, but he's probably happy working as an executive at Booz Allen. Besides, the importance of the DCI is diminished under the as-yet unnamed National Intelligence Director.


New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey dropped a bombshell by coming out of the closet, admitting his affair (allegely with an Israeli national seeking the New Jersey Homeland Security advisor position) and resigning, effective 15 November. By political scandal standards, this one is on par with the affairs of Jack Kennedy and Slick Willy, and probably not worthy of a resignation. Yet I also think that the people of New Jersey owe their outgoing governor a measure of respect for trying to save the dignity of his office. Too bad Bill Clinton put his own personal ambition ahead of the dignity of the presidency. Maybe he could learn a lesson from fellow Democrats like Jim McGreevey and Gary Hart.

Wednesday, August 11, 2004

When I was younger I thought it was a riot to bash Microsoft. I had this idea in my head that when you buy software, it's supposed to work reliably. Of course, Windows does not fit that description.

Now that I'm older and slightly more mature, I still think of Windows as unreliable but I don't find it that funny anymore. I also notice that Microsoft has at least made an effort to patch problems in its existing software. The only problem is that each successive patch adds to the bloated size of the software and often creates unseen problems. The sad truth is that Microsoft cannot make an OS as reliable as good old DOS + Windows 3.1 unless they write the OS from scratch.

I would still like to apologize for my Microsoft bashing, as I was able to restore my toasted Windows XP system after using my brother's system disk. Eventually I plan on rolling back to Windows Me (as it takes less system resources,) but for now my mother needs the computer the way it is so she can complete her Office XP course.

Word to the wise: Windows XP is slower than a one-legged dog when installed on a system with less than 10 GB of hard drive and 128 MB RAM.


Yesterday I was reading parts of the Butler report, a detailed analysis of British intelligence's handling of weapons of mass destruction issues, particularly in regards to Iraq.

Rush Limbaugh said that this report "kicks the ass of the Senate Select Committee's report," and while I have not read that report, I will say that this one is very hard to beat. It emerges from the Butler report that British intelligence had a pretty good assessment of Iraq's WMD capabilities all the way up to the year 2002. After that, things begin to get sloppy.

Early British assessments of Iraqi WMD concede that Iraq may have a few weapons left over from before 1991, but stresses that the greatest danger is that Iraq could produce chemical and biological weapons within weeks or months of a decision to proceed. In this light, Iraq could only be viewed as a far-term threat (worthy of pre-emption) and its weapons must be viewed as tactical in nature.

The report gets interesting when discussing Iraq's missile activities. The indigenous Scud-derived missiles we all feared were probably disassembled by the Iraqis. Some reports state that only the engines, guidance, and warheads were saved, and Iraqi industry would have to build new fuel tanks to re-assemble these weapons. Even the most pessimistic accounts stated that Iraq only had 20 of these weapons, so they did not constitute a real threat.

The British recognized that the real missile threat came from Iraq's indigenously-developed missiles like al Samoud. They did not know whether chemical or biological warheads had been developed for these weapons, nor did they know the status of al Samoud follow-ons that were even more threatening (on paper) than the Scuds.

In hindsight we know that al Samoud did not have WMD warheads, but we also know that the follow-on effort was more advanced than thought. Most importantly, Iraq was trying to get even more effective No Dong missiles from North Korea after the inevitable end of UN sanctions.

The stark difference between the pre-2002 assessments and the 2002 assessments was a shift from "Iraq could produce WMDs" to "Iraq has started producing WMDs." The change was prompted by several defectors who proved unreliable. The question we must answer is whether these defectors were thoroughly checked out, or if improperly-vetted intelligence was used to bolster the case for war. The problem is the mixed signals coming from the White House in addition to the media spin. The purpose of war was to pre-empt Iraq before it rebuilt its WMD arsenal. But some of the intelligence sent to the American people suggested that Iraq already had done so. On the count of terrorist support (which I feel was a stonger causus belli than WMD,) the pre-emption doctrine could also be cited. We had to take out Saddam before he started cooperating with bin Laden (an evil alliance which both parties had discussed repeatedly.)


Iraq's stockpiles of botulism toxin have been discovered. In March 2003, they were smuggled out of the country and hidden in John Kerry's face.

I hope you got a mild chuckle out of that joke. If not, I will try to come up with some funnier ones.

Tuesday, August 10, 2004

Yesterday I received a sobering reminder of the realities of war. My father received an e-mail from a co-worker who is a reservist in Iraq. She's stationed in the Green Zone, and reports of frequent rocket and mortar attacks. She also talked about seeing dead and maimed people, frequent prison riots, and even detainees who escape. I pray daily that the men and women who wear thew uniform will be protected from harm, and that we can all work together for the future of Iraq and Afghanistan and the end of the Islamic militancy.


Preident Bush tapped CIA veteran and congressman Porter Goss to be the new director of central intelligence. Given the experience of Rep. Goss, he is a natural choice for the job, and the urgency of the terror threat demands that he be quickly confirmed. Unfortunately, a few disgusting souls are still playing politics with this nomination process. Take this snippet, from an article by Terence Hunt, for example:

Retired Adm. Stansfield Turner, who was CIA chief during the Carter administration and supports Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, said Goss' selection marked "a bad day for the CIA." Goss was chosen simply "to help George Bush win votes in Florida," he said.
"This is the worst appointment that's ever been made to the office of director of central intelligence because that's an office that needs to be kept above partisan politics," Turner said.


The worst DCI appointment ever? Surely the Admiral forgets about John Deutch. Maybe he's just jealous of Porter Goss. Maybe he's also trying to divert atention from the intelligence failures that occurred on his watch, such as the fall of the shah and the kidnapping of the American embassy staff in Tehran.

Monday, August 09, 2004

Jayna Davis, author of the Oklahoma City bombing book "The third Terrorist," was on "Coast to Coast AM" last week. The show was so compelling that I stayed awake for the entire thing. She talked about the 6000 Iraqi soldiers who received amnesty in the US in 1991, and how eight of them hooked up with a Palestinian con man in Oklahoma City. Mrs. Davis then details Terry Nichols's meetings with Ramzi Youssef in the Phillipines, and the Iraqi soldier she believes was "John Doe #2." The account concludes with three of these Iraqis getting jobs at Boston's Logan Airport, where Mrs. Davis implies that they assisted the 9/11 hijackers with getting past security and sneaking weapons onto the planes.

It was a very compelling story, and tirelessly researched. I do believe that there was an al Qaeda connection to the Oklahoma City bombing. Yet I think Mrs. Davis did not conclusively link the Iraqi government to the actions of Iraqi nationals involved with the bombing. I also think Jayna Davis should try to interview Susan Lindauer, the Iraqi spy, about what she learned from Iraqi intelligence about the bombing. Davis didn't mention anything about Michael Fortier, who assited McVeigh and carried out the plan (unlike Terry Nichols, who backed out at the last minute.) I would also like to hear what Mrs. Davis has discovered in her investigation of the link between Nick Berg and Zacharias Moussaoui.


The sorry story of Ahmed Chalabi continues. He's wanted for counterfeiting, and his nephew Salem (formerly in charge of tribunals for Iraqi war criminals) is wanted for murdering a finance ministry official. I think there is substance to the charges, but there are political overtones as well. The Chalabis are now allied with Moqtada al Sadr, who is back in the business of instigating violence against Iraqi and American authorities. Seeing as how the Chalabis found refuge in Iran, the Chalabi--al Sadr--Iranian government links become more clear. Chalabi's arrest warrant should also be viewed as an outgrowth of the rivalry between Iyad Allawi and Ahmed Chalabi. Allawi had won the trust of the skeptical British intelligence service, while Chalabi had impressed powerful Republican leaders in America. With Chalabi's "we were heroes in error" admission and his subsequent Iranian spying, he fell from grace and is now an outsider, while Allawi has what Chalabi always wanted: control over Iraq.


Two American soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing. That bit of news has sadly become commonplace, except that this time it was in Afghanistan. The Taliban has been more timid than Iraqi insurgents in attacking Americans, not to mention the fact that six times as many Americans are in Iraq as in Afghanistan. It's scary to think that the Afghan insurgency might be intensifying. Even scarier are the prospects that we will be in Afghanistan for many years to come as the Afghans try to build some semblance of a quality life. Unlike Iraq, Afghanistan has always known extreme poverty and suffering. The country will not become totally self-sufficient anytime soon.


Jesse Jackson recently referred to IL Senate candidate Alan Keyes as "Casper the ghost." Implicit in this hateful invective is that Alan Keyes isn't "acting black." That is a scary notion for people to have, that your race should determine your personality and your ideology. We should not have concepts like "acting white," or "acting black" or "acting Asian," etc. Let people be individuals and find their own style. Let Alan Keyes be Alan Keyes and let Eminem be Eminem.


John Kerry and John McCain want George Bush to distance himself from the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" advertisements, which expose John Kerry's less than honorable exploits in Vietnam. However, these veterans are at least committed to truth, as opposed to anything Michael Moore has put on the silver screen. If George Bush is to condemn the Swift Boat ads, then John Kerry should at least condemn "Faherenheit 9/11." Nope, I don't expect it to realistically happen, but I think it would be a fair tradeoff.

Wednesday, August 04, 2004

ADVENTURES
Yesterday I had tried to clean up my hard drive, with thoughts of expanding my partition to take up the unallocated space on my disk. However, I found out that I couldn't fulfill my wish of blowing the system away and doing a reinstall because my mother needed to use it for her Office XP classes. I relented. Last night, my system crashed, and I did not feel like working through the memory leak upon startup, so I kept it up in my room.

At 4:00 AM, Mother barged into my room with a flashlight looking for my computer. I told her, trying to hold back my anger and indignation, that I tried to get it ready for her the night before but it wasn't ready. She complained that she got up three hours early for nothing, and began to cry crocodile tears just to make me feel guilty. And she has the gall to wonder why she and I get along like Eminem and his mom do.

But, back on the subject of the computer, I tried Partition Magic this morning with hopes that my Windows XP partition would grow to fill my entire hard disk. The operation looked successful, but it had an error executing the batch file to restart Windows, and went through a series of restarts before I finally shut it off. Safe mode, "restore my settings," and "operate Windows normally" all failed. It looks like my system has bought the digital "farm in the sky." Mother will be pleased now.

RANTS
Gen. Tommy Franks, perhaps the greatest military commander and strategist of our generation, has a new book out. Entitled "American Soldier," it is an autobiography and an inside look at Operation Enduring Freedom and major combat operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Gen. Franks has a refreshing honesty. He trashes Richard Clarke and Colin Powell, and expresses frustration at Donald Rumsfeld's second-guessing (although his plans meshed with Rumsfeld's ideas about lean, mobile forces.)

On Afghanistan, Gen. Franks reveals that the war plan came together over ten days in September 2001 (and was immediately rejected by many, although its eventual success would be widely lauded.) He attributes bin Laden's escape to poor intelligence, rather than insufficient men on the ground.

The biggest achievement on Iraq was the successful misinformation campaign that forced the Iraqis to put eleven divisions up north, allowing the invading force to cross the Kuwaiti border with minimal resistance. The downside to this plan was our inability to seal off the northern border during the initial phase of the war, when the Zarqawi network and Ansar al Islam fled into Iran through the northern border.

The General is optimistic about Iraq (although disappointed in its people as well as the entire international community,) feels insurgency was inevitable but could have been mitigated if we flooded the country with money when we came in (a point I totally agree with,) and that we will need to stay for three to five years.


The left is back on the attack against our president, alleging that the recent terror alert was based on info from 2000 and not current. I totally disagree. The signs are there that al Qaeda is ready to strike (the recent assassination attempt against Pakistan's prime minister being the most blatant,) and the information on these truck bomb targets was updated as recently as this January. By openly sharing this information with the American people, we can increase our vigilance and deter terrorists from striking these particular institutions.


It will be either Alan Keyes or Andrea Barthwell going up against Barack Obama this November. I think the state GOP should be criticized for intentionally choosing a candidate of color to take away a perceived advantage of Obama's, but I also feel that both candidates are qualified for the job. In particular, Alan Keyes is just as good of a public speaker as Obama, and he will force Obama to actually reveal his policy positions. Alan Keyes still has an uphill battle, but I feel that exposing Obama's very liberal views will be a pyrrhic victory.

One person who's not keen on the Republicans is NBC 5 political corresponant Dick Kay. (BTW, has anybody noticed the way he quivers when holding a microphone?) Kay blasted Barthwell for 'making insensitive comments, being referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and taking sensitivity training.' Apparently he's referring to an incident where Mrs. Barthwell told a gay joke at a party and acted it out with a kaleidoscope.

Then Kay blasted Alan Keyes for being 'an ultraconservative who opposed sanctions against South Africa during the Reagan administration and believes America may be on its last legs.' It sure is reminiscent of the 2000 election, when Democrats used the South Africa issue against Dick Cheney. They obscure the fact that the African National Congress used terrorist tactics to support its noble purpose. They also ignore the fact that Nelson Mandela, during 2002, said that "America is the greatest threat to world peace."

The truth about Alan Keyes is that he wants to restore morality to America, abolish the graduated income tax, and protect American sovereignty in the face of mounting globalism from organizations like the UN that have values completely opposite from America's. Run, Alan, run!

Monday, August 02, 2004

Illinois Leader is reporting that Alan Keyes, the great orator, family-values advocate, ambassador, and my hero, is in the running for the Illinois senate seat. You can bet that I will be quite happy (albeit surprised) if this works out.

The minor snag here is that Ambassador Keyes is a Maryland resident. That would make him a carpetbagger, just like Hillary Clinton. Yet I would be proud to open the arms of this state to a great American like Alan Keyes.

It's all up to what the Illinois Republican party wants. I didn't think that removing Jack Ryan was a bad idea (it was a convenient way of removing a candidate who was bombing in the polls) but the GOP should have had a new candidate ready by the time the decision was made. This entire episode of "Who wants to be a candidate, and get sacrificed to Barack Obama?" reveals exactly why Judy Baar Topinka should be fired from her job heading up the Illinois Republican party.


Yesterday's suicide bombings against five Iraqi Christian churches are an angering reminder of the desperate insurgency that must be wiped from the earth. The insurgency is closely following the campaign outlined in Abu Musab al Zarqawi's letter from January 2004, with kidnappings and sectarian violence aimed at splintering the coalition and creating civil war. The kidnappings have seen limited success, with the defeat of the Phillipines and several civilian contractors being the result. Yet the US, Britain, Italy, Poland, and other coalition partners maintain their resolve. The sectarian violence has failed to pit Arabs against Kurds, Muslims against Christians, or Shiites versus Sunnis. Yet it has succeeded in eroding Iraqi support and confidence in coalition forces, who are unable to prevent these attacks.

The best way of resolving this is if Iyad Allawi can appeal to the Iraqis' nationalism and get them to unite against the insurgents who have killed so many of their countrymen. In short, the Arabs who kill Arabs, the Kurds who kill Kurds, the Muslims who kill other Muslims, and the Iraqis who kill their fellow Iraqis are the enemy. They deserve neither respect nor sanctuary nor safety.

Some reports have suggested that Zarqawi is moving outside of Iraq. It may be a sign that he is slowly conceeding defeat, or he may simply be seeking protection from the US Air Force, who has been pounding his safehouses in Fallujah and other towns of al Anbar province.

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