Not sure what is going on, but I hope to have this fixed soon. Not that you can even read this, anyway.
Archives for 2003
Hog Wild in the Middle East
An organisation in Israel has gained rabbinical approval to train pigs to guard Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Until now, Jewish settlements have been guarded by men with guns and also by guard dogs.But a new idea – guard pigs – has been thought up by an organisation called The Hebrew Battalion.
The man in charge, Kuti Ben-Yaakov, insists it is a serious proposal.
“Pigs’ sense of smell is far more developed than that of dogs,” he said.
“The pigs will also be able to identify weapons from huge distances, and walk in the direction of the terrorist, thereby pointing him out.
“Moreover, this animal is considered to be dangerous by Islam and, according to the Muslim faith, a terrorist who touches a pig is not eligible for the 70 virgins in heaven.”
Pork- the other white meat.
I Don’t Know How I Feel
I am not sure what I think of this:
The Army has filed a criminal assault charge against an American officer who coerced an Iraqi into providing information that foiled a planned attack on U.S. soldiers.
Lt. Col. Allen B. West says he did not physically abuse the detainee, but used psychological pressure by twice firing his service weapon away from the Iraqi. After the shots were fired, the detainee, an Iraqi police officer, gave up the information on a planned attack around the northern Iraqi town of Saba al Boor.
But the Army is taking a dim view of the interrogation tactic. An Army official at the Pentagon confirmed to The Washington Times yesterday that Col. West has been charged with one count of aggravated assault. A military source said an Article 32 hearing has been scheduled in Iraq that could lead to the Army court-martialing Col. West and sending him to prison for a maximum term of eight years.
Some soldiers are privately questioning the Army’s drive to punish the officer for an interrogation technique that likely is used regularly to get information from terrorists.
Col. West’s unit in Iraq operates amid extreme danger. Fighters loyal to ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein are poised at any moment to kill the soldiers in ambushes using explosive devices, guns and rocket-propelled grenades.
I do not condone this type of interrogation (but I know it happens), yet I am sympathetic to an officer doing everything he can to protect his men ina tough situation. Comments?
Around the Blogosphere
Steve Verdon has a great post up outlline more deceptiveness from Paul Krugman, while John Hawkins has compiled the list of conservative bloggers most influential books and this excellent interview with Andrew Sullivan.
All Your OS Are Belong To Us
You can call me officially underwhelmed:
Microsoft on Monday gave its most detailed look yet at the next version of Windows, code-named “Longhorn,” which features new methods of storing files, a complete revamping of the graphics, tighter links to the Internet and greater security.
Stop giggling about the greater security part. Stop it now, I say.
Kerry Gone Wild
During the desultory Democrat debates Sunday night, John Kerry was asked about his reputation for being standoffish and boring. His response:
“Wait till you see my video,” he deadpanned. ” ‘Kerry Gone Wild.’
For those of you who were waiting with bated breath for the release of this epic, your wait is over. Kerry was just on the Imus program, and he sounded as strident, hysterical, and unhinged as ever. IN the brief interview, Kerry repeated the following lies memes:
1.) There is no plan for Iraq
2.) The $87 billion is nothing but a payoff for Halliburton
3.) Bush lied about the war
4.) Bush lied on the carrier landing about the ‘mission being accomplished.’
There were others, but I forget them all, they were happening so fast. For more Kerry fun, Sullivan pens a piece about the French Senator and points to two TNR pieces about the junior Senator from Taxachussetts.
Tribalism In Iraq
Here is a rather interesting op-ed piece in the NY Times about tribalism in Iraq, how Saddam is using it against the coalition, and how we can counter it. Money quote:
But what works for Saddam Hussein can also be made to work against him. The coalition is eminently capable of winning over many tribes. An old saying in Iraq has it that you cannot buy a tribe, but you can certainly hire one.
Give it a read.