Monthly Archives: November 2006

The Iraqi court charged with investigating the crimes against humanity committed by Saddam Hussein have come out with their expected verdict:  Death by Hanging. 

This shouldn’t be much of a shock for most people with anything more than a brain stem.  Saddam was known as a savage on par with Idi Amin or Joe Stalin.  Wiping entire villages off the map was considered perfectly sensible by the Hussein gang.  Saddam’s Sons of Fun, Biday and Qusay, now currently dead, were known to be just like Dad, except even more violent, savage and out of control. 

The US military and the Iraqi Police clamped a curfew on the country in anticipation of all kinds of violence when the verdict was dropped.  There are reports of clashes in Sunni areas as various political leaders condemn the decision.  Other areas, notably Shiite areas, there has been much rejoicing. 

This is where things are going to get dicey.  Humans revert to tribes when systems break down.  Iraq has been broken for a number of years and as expected, everyone has reverted back to their tribal allegiances.  Religious tribes, or village tribes, or familial tribes are the norm.  To police this kind of morass, the authorities are trying to make people believe in Iraq first, then tribal groupings.  It isn’t working.  It isn’t working even a little bit. 

By any definition, even if there is a ‘national’ government, Iraq has devolved into a tribal civil war.  As history has taught us, time and time again, you can’t stop a tribal civil war.  Even Saddam at his peak of craziness couldn’t keep the lid on the Kurds, using gas and bombing:  The tribal allegiance is too strong.

What does this mean for the US and, by extension, the rest of the world?  First, nothing can be solved on the ground regardless of how much force, short of nukes, that you apply.  Second, the US and the rest of us, have created a whole generation of new terrorists who blame the United States for their situation.

The people who are cranking up this new generation of disaffected and violent tribal followers are the tribal leaders.  The reason they can crank up a new generation is simple:  The US didn’t do the things they needed to do when they invaded Iraq.

I wrote about this on the website in April of 2003 in a posting called  So What Now?.  The short summary is this:  After invading and winning, you must get the lights back on, the water running and enough security up so the regular folks can go to the marketplace to get food.  Use the now-civilians from the army to fill in the holes in the road, re-establish the electrical grid and fix the water supply.  Pay them a reasonable wage and sift through all of them for the real war criminals. 

When the infrastructure is actually working and people can do what they need to do to survive and thrive, then you won’t have too many problems with insurrections, guerilla groups, or a scared, angry, hungry, vengeful population blaming the invaders for their situation.  It is a very simple equation and an easy fix.

The folks running the war didn’t do this.  Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rove, and President JoJo The Idiot Boy decided that a full-fledged Jeffersonian Democracy must be airlifted into Iraq to be some kind of shining Beacon of Hope.  Peasants don’t care about democracy.  Democracy is a luxury you can afford if you have a full belly and a working country.  The US didn’t give or even attempt to provide the Iraqi’s a working country.  For that matter, they didn’t give them a working suburb, or city block. 

Rumsfeld, Cheney Rove and Dubya spent the years since trying to find the hole to fingerbang their way to Mission Accomplished with meat puppets like Jerry Bremner.  There was much posturing, posing and paper generation, but the lights weren’t on and the water didn’t work, except in the Green Zone of Baghdad.  More than three years later, no wonder Iraq has devolved into tribal madness.  Runsfeld, Rove, Cheney and Dubya were too concerned with appearances, press releases, politics and scoring points at home to actually let the military do the job they needed (and wanted) to do.

It is now too late to fix it.  The Iraq civil war and tribal wars have started.  Saddam’s execution will be a footnote that kicks off a new level of insurgent actions.  The real mistake happened in the spring of 2003. 

Solutions?  The US is going to need significant defense at home as that whole generation of Iraqis cranked up by the tribal leaders are going to come to the US looking to get some revenge.  Iraq has become the biggest, best, most colourful and convincing recruiting brochure for Al Qaeda you could ever hope to create.

You can’t blame the Democrats, or the Republicans, or Liberals or the Religious Right.  You can’t blame John Kerry, or Hillary Clinton, or John McCain or Mike Bloomberg.  You can’t even blame the soldiers on the ground.  The boots on the street tried to help locally but were hamstrung at every turn by a chain of command that was more concerned with pleasing their masters in Washington.

I’ll close with three fake quotes:

"Rummy, you’re doing a hellofa job."  "Dickie, you’re doing a hellofa job."  "Karl, you’re doing a hellofa job." 

Since I have a direct line to the Deity, I am going to publish the results of the US mid-term elections right here, right now. 

Voter Turnout?  Lowest on record.  Less than 42% of registered voters will bother, which is hardly surprising.  The Democrats are the party that stands for Nothing.  The Republicans are the party that stands for Nothing, plus God. 

Voting Irregularities?  Highest on record since the glory days of Chicago in the 1930’s, where the slogan was "Vote early, Vote often."  Even such democratic havens as the Philippines, Chile and Uganda will look at the irregularities and say "That ain’t right."  

Results?  Democrats will have a slim majority in the House, but not the Senate.  President JoJo The Idiot Boy will claim it as a victory for those innocent stem cells, being harvested by Evildoers of the Axis of Evil who snatch pregnant women off the street and force them to have abortions.  Oh and the troops.

If you think you have political gridlock now, welcome to political constipation that can only result from a diet of oat bran and cheese curds. 

Rove, Rumsfeld, Cheney and JoJo The Idiot Boy want to rule by Imperial Fiat, Executive Order and Signing Statement.  They will.  It will make the glory days of Richard Nixon (`71 to `74) look like a Green Party kaffe-klatch.  Expect an Enemies List.  Expect the Patriot Act to be expanded.  Expect detentions for anyone who dares to speak out or point at things like, oh, The Constitution.   

Losers?  Anyone who lives in America, who isn’t stinkin’ rich and on the Republican speed-dial.  That means you. 

This is a Forest Gump kind of week.  Stupid Is as Stupid Does when it comes to Nukes, Porn, Sex and Condoms.

November 3, 2006 U.S. Web Archive Is Said to Reveal a Nuclear Primer

By WILLIAM J. BROAD  (NYTimes)  Last March, the federal government set up a Web site to make public a vast archive of Iraqi documents captured during the war. The Bush administration did so under pressure from Congressional Republicans who had said they hoped to “leverage the Internet” to find new evidence of the prewar dangers posed by Saddam Hussein.

But in recent weeks, the site has posted some documents that weapons experts say are a danger themselves: detailed accounts of Iraq’s secret nuclear research before the 1991 Persian Gulf war. The documents, the experts say, constitute a basic guide to building an atom bomb.

Last night, the government shut down the Web site after The New York Times asked about complaints from weapons experts and arms-control officials. A spokesman for the director of national intelligence said access to the site had been suspended “pending a review to ensure its content is appropriate for public viewing.  We’re concerned about 12-year olds seeing this kind of material."

Jared Fleegus a 12-year old from Groton, CT, who downloaded the plans from the Internet said that "The plans are sooo bogus man.  No plutonium seed.  Crap focus mirrors.  No trigger synchronizers better than 22 milliseconds and the casing?  Half-assed Soviet era engineering.  That’s so much bullshit my Mom’s plants are growing.  Jeez, is this the best our government can do?  Lameass 1970’s technology?" 

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12 SMARTCARDS GO MISSING IN TENNESSEE; CONTROL ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES
Fri Nov 03 2006 10:09:31 ET Drudge Report

Political insiders have expressed alarm after 12 voter smartcards have gone missing from one Shelby County, TN early vote location.  The cards are used to activate electronic voting machines.
The location at the center of the controversy is Bishop Byrne High School on E. Shelby Drive in Memphis. 

The polling place started out with 25 cards. By Wednesday, 11 were missing, says an eyewitness.  The location was given 5 more smartcards on Thursday.  And another card went missing.  Someone possessing a smartcard could use ‘off the shelf equipment’ [equipment that reprograms the card] and alter it to be used multiple times, and cast multiple votes.

Presidential Advisor Karl Rove, approached at a Memphis BestBuy checkout line said that the missing voting machine smartcards have, "Nothing to do with us.  No siree.  Nothing.  Nope.  Nothing to do with Republican Candidate Bob Corker either.  Nope. Just more Democrat Paranoia from Harold Ford Junior.  And the bearded, terrorist, homosexual-marrying, file-swapping, file encrypting Evildoers of the Axis of Evil who will take over if you vote Democrat."

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Orgies in Wahabi Saudi Arabia: Western culture blamed

Special to World Tribune.com Friday, November 3, 2006   Known as a modest and pious man, Saudi King Abdullah has been hearing steady reports of a sharp decline in morals in his country.

In Jeddah, the Mawadda Social and Family Reconciliation and Counseling Center has been processing requests for help from thousands of married couples on the verge of breaking up, Middle East Newsline reported. The threat is not divorce, heavily frowned upon in the kingdom, but of the husband establishing a second home with a concubine or prostitute.

"Our youths are not, unfortunately, educated on the importance of leading a secure married life," said Hassan Al Shelabi, the center director.  Al Shelabi said his center has received reports of wife swapping, of husbands pressuring wives to sleep with their friends and of orgies. He said these requests reflect the influence of Western culture, easily accessible on satellite television or the Internet.  

"The parents should be mindful that ‘Saving Ryan’s Privates’ or ‘Dirt Bike Butt Bangers’ are not films that a pious family should have readily available.  Go to London or New York for that kind of material, like the old days." said Al Shalabi.

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Evangelist Admits Meth, Massage, No Sex
Nov 03 2:34 PM US/Eastern By CATHERINE TSAI
Associated Press Writer COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.

Evangelist Ted Haggard admitted Friday that he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a gay prostitute who claims he was paid for drug-fueled trysts by the outspoken gay marriage opponent.

Haggard resigned Thursday as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and stepped down as leader of his Colorado megachurch while the two groups investigate the allegations. 

Talking to reporters outside his house Friday, Haggard denied the sex allegations but said that he did buy meth from the man because he was curious.   "I bought it for myself but never used it," he said. "I was tempted, but I never used him.  Or the meth. Or the DTK flavoured condoms.  Or the lube. Or the goat. Or the Saudi porn."

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Flavored condom ad in bad taste?

Fri Nov 3, 2006 9:06am ET  NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian authorities want to stop the daytime airing of a television advertisement promoting flavoured condoms saying it is obscene and in bad taste, a newspaper reported Friday.

The advert promotes DKT’s "XXX" strawberry, chocolate and banana flavoured condoms with the catchline "What is your flavor of the night?."  But the Advertising Standards Council of India and the Censor Board have asked the government to bar the ad from being broadcast during the day, especially during the popular Champions Trophy international cricket tournament.

"This campaign is obscene," Sharmila Tagore, chairwoman of the Censor Board was quoted as saying in the Times of India. "Maybe DKT is targeting raunchy teenagers. But the ads are definitely not meant for children.  We do not wish our children to know that playing the pink piccolo is an acceptable behavior, despite the actions of various American politicians." 

A spokesman for DKT has said that they are "currently testing new flavours like Bubble Gum, Mango Lassi and Vindaloo" that would be more child friendly.

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Serious Security Breach At Los Alamos

November 3rd, 2006  (CBS/AP) The recent security breach at Los Alamos National Laboratory was very serious, with sensitive materials being taken out of the facility — possibly including information on how to deactivate locks on nuclear weapons, officials tell CBS News.

drug raid at a Los Alamos-area home last month. The FBI was called in to investigate.   

Multiple sources now tell CBS News that the material includes sensitive weapons-design data.  FBI Spokesperson Jedgar Hoobler said that "We have a person of interest in the Connecticut area, near Groton, who may have posted the data to the Internet."

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You know what frightens me?  I didn’t do that much writing or editing on this post.