tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65342312024-03-14T05:47:29.515-04:00Per CuriamThe truth? You can't handle the truth...Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774469951448261352noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1097681156446100422004-10-13T11:23:00.000-04:002004-10-13T11:25:56.446-04:00<b><a href="http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/770chlec.asp">P.J. O'Rourke:</a></b>No, it turns out Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction. And how crazy does that make Saddam? All he had to do was tell Hans Blix, "Look anywhere you want. Look under the bed. Look beneath the couch. Look behind the toilet tank in the third presidential palace on the left, but keep your mitts off my copies of Maxim." And Saddam could have gone on dictatoring away until Donald Rumsfeld gets elected head of the World Council of Churches.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1097467064095710632004-10-10T23:44:00.000-04:002004-10-10T23:57:44.096-04:00<b>Reach out to Egypt?</b>
<br />
<br />John Kerry, in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/magazine/10KERRY.html?hp=&oref=login&pagewanted=all&position=">today's New York Times</a>: <blockquote>"A new presidency with the right moves, the right language, the right outreach, the right initiatives, can dramatically alter the world’s perception of us very, very quickly.
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<br />I know Mubarak well enough to know what I think I could achieve in the messaging and in the press in Egypt,” Kerry went on.</blockquote>Ah, so Sen. Kerry believes the problem with Egypt is "perception" and "messaging." Let's quote some Egyptians, from <a href="">the Jerusalem Post</a>:<blockquote>General (Ret.) Muhammad Abdel Fattah Omar, a former senior official with the Egyptian Ministry of Interior, which is responsible for the country's security services, was one of the first Egyptians to accuse Israel of masterminding the attacks.
<br />
<br />"In each operation, we should first try to find out who benefits from it," he said. "Israel is the only party that benefits from the Sinai attacks. The Israelis and their agents are the only ones who are able to enter this area without difficulty."...
<br />
<br />Abdullah al-Ashal, a former top official with the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, said he had no doubts that Israeli hands were involved in the bombings. "Israel's ultimate plan is to bring Egypt to its knees and eliminate its regional role," he told the IslamOnline Web site.
<br />
<br />Ashal, who served as assistant foreign minister, went on to claim that by pointing a finger at al-Qaida, Israel was seeking to include Egypt in the US-led war on terror...
<br />
<br />Diaa Rashwan, an expert in the Islamic movements affairs in Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, an Egyptian think-tank, also agreed that Al-Qaeda was not a likely culprit.</blockquote>No wonder the Israelis are sweating a Kerry victory. In the Times article, Kerry continued by saying:<blockquote>"I mean, you ever hear anything about the ‘road map’ anymore?" he asked, referring to the international plan for phasing in peace between Israel and the Palestinians, which Kerry supports. “No."</blockquote>I can tell you why we don't hear about the road map, but I'd rather let President Bush tell you. From Friday night's presidential debate:<blockquote>Question: You know, I've made some decisions on Israel that's unpopular. I wouldn't deal with Arafat, because I felt like he had let the former president down, and I don't think he's the kind of person that can lead toward a Palestinian state.
<br />
<br />And people in Europe didn't like that decision. And that was unpopular, but it was the right thing to do.
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<br />I believe Palestinians ought to have a state, but I know they need leadership that's committed to a democracy and freedom, leadership that would be willing to reject terrorism.</blockquote>In the vice-presidential debate, Vice-President Cheney made the same point:<blockquote>In respect to Israel and Palestine, Gwen, the suicide bombers, in part, were generated by Saddam Hussein, who paid $25,000 to the families of suicide bombers.
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<br />I personally think one of the reasons that we don't have as many suicide attacks today in Israel as we've had in the past is because Saddam is no longer in business.
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<br />We've been strong supporters of Israel. The president stepped forward and put in place a policy basically that said we will support the establishment of two states. First president ever to say we'll establish and support a Palestinian state nextdoor to Israelis.
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<br />But first, there has to be an interlocutor you can trust and deal with. And we won't have that, we don't have it now, in a Yasser Arafat. There has to be reform of the Palestinian system.</blockquote>Sen. Edwards followed up with one of his most amazing remarks of the night:<blockquote>No, I did talk about it, Israel. He's the one who didn't talk about it.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1097466008027606412004-10-10T23:35:00.000-04:002004-10-10T23:40:08.026-04:00<b>The inconsistency at the heart of it all</b>: Jason Van Steenwyck <a href="http://iraqnow.blogspot.com/2004/10/more-great-moments-in-journalism.html">nails the unrealistic wishful thinking</a> that has Democrats believing that they can simultaneously attack President Bush for doing too much in Iraq and not enough in Iran:<blockquote>How in the WORLD would we convince Iran to give up it's own nuclear program so long as it was the considered opinion of Iran, Israel, the United States, the senior leadership of the Iraqi army, and every reputable intelligence agency in the world that Iraq was still keeping WMDs? Why would Iran ever THINK of dismantling its nuclear program? Indeed, it would be stupid to do so, given Saddam Hussein's demonstrated intent.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1097293555420433812004-10-08T23:41:00.000-04:002004-10-08T23:45:55.420-04:00<b>Why I still like Glenn Reynolds</b> (despite the effort required to mold his <a href="http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/articles/pdf/v17/17HarvJLTech179.pdf">Nanotechnology: Three Futures</a> article into publishable form):
<br />
<br />From tonight's live-blog of the presidential debate:<blockquote>WHO WOULD YOU NAME TO THE SUPREME COURT? Bush foolishly doesn't say "Eugene Volokh."</blockquote>But President Bush already has my vote.
<br />
<br />Later in the entry, Prof. Reynolds notes that "Kerry voted to confirm Scalia." Unfortunately, this doesn't count as an example of a flip-flop -- not after President Bush announced tonight that he considers some of his appointments to be, in hindsight, mistakes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1097099625287229772004-10-06T17:38:00.000-04:002004-10-06T17:53:45.286-04:00<b>If you don't tear it down, I will</b>: Nothing has infuriated me more in this election cycle than reports from my friends that their bumper stickers (and, in some cases, the rest of the car) have been vandalized because of their support for President Bush and Vice-President Cheney. I would like to show my support on the streets of Cambridge, where there is hardly a car without a sticker declaring that "Bush Lied, People Died," or some such nonsense.
<br />
<br />I've been meaning to do a count, actually, of anti-Bush stickers vs. pro-Kerry/Edwards stickers. I think the number might actually be close.
<br />
<br />In response, several people who live outside the People's Republic have suggested "That's what you get for living in Cambridge."
<br />
<br />Nope. <a href="http://johnnbrown.blogspot.com/2004/09/911-memorial-vandalized.html">Political intolerance is everywhere</a>. And <a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/018250.php">it's growing.</a>
<br />
<br />I wish I had some empirical sense for how common these sorts of incidents have been during my lifetime: my sense is not very common. Particularly given how often we've heard (completely unsubstantiated) complaints about "voter suppression" in Florida in 2000 -- I tend to think that if these sorts of things were happening a lot to Democrats, it would be headline news. I think I'll start keeping a running list:
<br />(From Jim Geraghty, 10/6/04):<blockquote>Howard County, Maryland:
<br />
<br />The political season has turned ugly in Howard County, with an Ellicott City homeowner reporting a late-night fire that burned two Republican campaign signs in his back yard.
<br />In addition, local Republicans say scores of other campaign signs have been destroyed or vandalized in the past couple of weeks, most of them along major highways.
<br />
<br />"It's absolutely outrageous," said Howard Rensin, chairman of the county Republican party. He said about $1,500 worth of GOP signs have been destroyed.
<br />
<br />"We're talking about dozens and dozens and dozens of signs. We think we may be looking at a concerted effort here," Rensin said. "If people want to express their political views, they ought to do so at the polls." ...
<br />
<br />Over the weekend, county police conducted a surveillance operation prompted by the spate of sign destruction. On Sept. 25, police spotted a man on Route 40 cutting down with a power tool a sign urging voters to re-elect President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
<br />
<br />Police arrested Corey Robert Cooke, 33, of Ellicott City and charged him with destruction of property.
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<br />Pfc. Dave Proulx, a county police spokesman, said Cooke has not been charged in any of the other incidents.
<br />
<br />The most dramatic incident so far involved the burning of the 4-foot-by-8-foot Bush-Cheney sign and a smaller sign endorsing U.S. Senate candidate E. J. Pipkin in Ellicott City.
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<br />James McQuarrie said he awoke shortly after 1 A.M. Sept. 25 and saw a fire burning in the yard of his home in the 10100 block of Old Frederick Road.
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<br />"I saw a big flame outside my window," McQuarrie said. He rushed to fight the fire with a hose, then county firefighters arrived to help. The fire also burned part of his yard fence and a nearby pile of wood, McQuarrie said.
<br />
<br />
<br />Another case in the same neck of the woods:
<br />
<br />Howard County's spate of political sign destruction led to the arrest late Friday of a Randallstown couple accused of using a bayonet to cut the centers out of two Bush/Cheney campaign signs on U.S. 40 near Ridge Road in Ellicott City, according to court files and county police.
<br />Peter Lizon, 30, and his wife, Stephanie Louise Lizon, 34, of the first block of Valdivia Court, were each charged with destruction of private property. Peter Lizon faces weapons charges. He is free on $3,500 bail and Stephanie Lizon on $3,000 bail.
<br />
<br />
<br />Duluth, Minnesota:
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<br />"We did it."
<br />Three Duluth teenagers walked into the Duluth News Tribune on Wednesday afternoon, opening with these three words. The boys said they were responsible for vandalizing Bush campaign signs and painting a swastika and the word "Nazi" at a London Road residence last weekend.
<br />
<br />An hour later, the three boys traveled to the Lakeside-Lester Park police station, where Sgt. Scott Campbell was waiting to talk to them.
<br />
<br />The teenagers told the News Tribune they meant no harm to Bob James, the homeowner and Bush-Cheney supporter who erected the signs. They said they spray painted the signs and the swastika on James' sidewalk but had nothing to do with the vandalism of two of James' vehicles.
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<br />Friends and supporters of James and the Republican Party of Minnesota had offered a $2,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the vandalism.
<br />
<br />While the teenagers were remorseful for what they did to James, they stood by their contempt for President Bush. They said they left a phone message for James on Wednesday and twice went to his house to apologize, but he wasn't home. They planned to try again later Wednesday.
<br />
<br />"It was not an act of hate," said Dustin "Dusty" Dzuck, 17, a senior at Denfeld High School. "My mom called me a terrorist. It wasn't terrorism; it was activism. It was for a cause.... The whole thing is, basically, I just wanted to get the word out there that in my opinion Bush isn't doing this country any good."
<br />
<br />Dzuck said his actions bothered him more when he learned James is an Army veteran.
<br />
<br />
<br />Nashville, Tennessee:
<br />
<br />Police said a Nashville teenager and his friends stole 71 Bush-Cheney yard signs because he was mad at President Bush for sending his brother to Iraq.
<br />Andrew Thurman, 18, told police that he and 19-year-old Frederick Stevenson stole the signs from several west Nashville neighborhoods because his brother, a U.S. marine, was sent to Iraq.
<br />
<br />"It's not unusual to see the isolated theft of campaign signs in local, state and federal elections," Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said. "However, this is the first time I can recall that someone who admits responsibility for the theft has linked it to the war in Iraq."
<br />
<br />Thurman, Stevenson and two other teens were riding in a Honda Accord when they were stopped by police. Officers searched the car and found the signs, along with three pistols.
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<br />Thurman and Stevenson were cited for misdemeanor charges of theft and unlawful weapon possession. The other teens, who were both minors, face only the weapon charge.
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<br />Officials say this presidential campaign has triggered more reports of stolen campaign signs than in previous elections.
<br />
<br />
<br />Rapid City, South Dakota:
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<br />The battle over political yard signs continued in Rapid City on Friday night, and the Republicans seemed to get the worst of it.
<br />Signs supporting Republican candidates John Thune and Larry Diedrich were spray painted, stolen or destroyed up and down West Boulevard, as well as on several streets nearby. West Boulevard resident Ellen Drabek said Saturday that she lost two signs from her yard during the night.
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<br />"Mine weren't painted. Mine were stolen. And there were two large Thune signs up at St. Patrick Street that were broken up. All the rest of them were spray painted," Drabek said. "None of the Democratic signs were touched."
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<br />The vandalism and thefts occurred about two weeks after three Rapid City teenagers were caught after they were spotted in the act of stealing a large yard sign for Democrat Stephanie Herseth from a West Boulevard yard. Signs for Democrat Tom Daschle also had been taken.</blockquote>From Jim Geraghty, 10/5/04:<blockquote>September 2, 2004: Huntington, West Virginia:
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<br />Republican supporters in Huntington were watching their candidate accept the party's nomination when a gunshot rang out right in the middle of George W. Bush's speech.
<br />
<br />"We heard a small snap, and felt glass come sliding by us. We looked up and saw a hole in our window and realized somebody was shooting at us", said Paula Stewart.
<br />
<br />Witnesses tell police that someone fired a shot at the Republican Headquarters office at 1402 4th Avenue around 10:30pm Thursday night.
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<br />
<br />Today, Knoxville, Tennessee:
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<br />An unknown gunman fired several shots into the Bearden, Tenn., Bush-Cheney campaign office Tuesday, WBIR-TV in Knoxville reported.
<br />
<br />According to Knoxville police officers on the scene, it is believed that the two separate shots were fired from a car sometime between 6:30 a.m. and 7:15 a.m. One shot shattered the glass in one front door and the other cracked the glass in another of the front doors.
<br />
<br />
<br />Today, Orlando, Florida:
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<br />A group of protestors caused a commotion Tuesday afternoon at the Bush-Cheney Headquarters at SR436 & the 408. The protestors rushed the front door and Orlando police spokesman, Sgt. Brian Gilliams says.
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<br />Once inside, the protestors used a marker to draw on posters and scribbled remarks. O-P says one employee at the office was slightly injured and police are considering whether to file misdemeanor battery charges against the unidentified protestor.</blockquote>From Instapundit, 10/5/04:<blockquote>Swastika Burned Into Grass On Bush-Cheney Supporter's Lawn
<br />Homeowner: 'My Signs Are Going Right Back In The Yard'
<br />
<br />POSTED: 11:57 am CDT October 1, 2004
<br />UPDATED: 12:31 pm CDT October 1, 2004
<br />
<br />MADISON, Wis. -- Madison homeowners are livid after vandals defaced their homes.
<br />
<br />
<br />Homeowner Rob Schaeffer
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<br />Someone burned an 8-foot-by-8-foot Nazi swastika on a home's lawn near where Bush-Cheney signs were posted. The vandals used grass killer to spray the symbol.
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<br />Several nearby homes were vandalized -- all were within a two-block radius on the West Side, near Ice Age Trail, News 3 reported.
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<br />State Republican Party officials claim it's the latest in a series of desperate acts by Democrats.
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<br />Homeowners are angry, but resolute in what they plan to do next.
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<br />AVON, Co:
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<br />AVON — Enough of the burning Bush and enough of the Avon chain saw massacre.
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<br />Vandals trespassing on his property to chainsaw the middle out of Republican campaign signs spurred landowner Magnus Lindholm Wednesday to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading the arrest of those responsible.
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<br />Earlier this week, somebody chain-sawed the middle out of two Bush signs on his property in Avon at the William Post Boulevard exit on Interstate 70. A “Bush/Cheney ’04” campaign sign was burned in Wolcott.
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<br />The Avon signs had been torn down previously, and others around the state have been damaged. Also targeted were campaign signs in other parts of the state promoting the U.S. Senate campaign of Pete Coors, also a Republican.
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<br />No signs promoting Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry or Senate hopeful Ken Salazar have been reported damaged.</blockquote>
<br />We'll see if this continues... I'm as much keeping track of this for myself as for anyone else.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1096217088391611132004-09-26T13:26:00.000-04:002004-09-26T12:44:48.393-04:00<b>Infuriating</b>: It's become a mantra for peaceniks ever since the first Gulf War. "We support the troops. We're just against the war." Thousands of pages of ink have been spilled regarding whether this position contradicts itself, or not. For the record, given Sen. Kerry's oft-quoted testimony about Vietnam ("Who wants to be the last man to die for a mistake?"), and the desire of our enemies abroad to kill our servicemen solely to change American public opinion, I come down on the contradictory side. But <a href="">writers to today's Boston Globe</a> make clear that for many Massachusetts liberals, the "support our troops" mantra is a lie:<blockquote>I use Route 3 from 128 to 495 every day; then 495 north to Lawrence," Robert wrote. "The overpasses are turning into a serious distraction. I am as patriotic as anyone else, but this has gotten out of control. Flags, sheets with all types of messages hand-painted on them are all beginning to really look cheesy. Save it for your front lawn."
<br />
<br />Peter of Ipswich wrote about the same issue in June.
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<br />"On Route 128 in Woburn the overpass at Mishawum is covered end to end with flags. This is state property. I find it distracting and am perplexed. The State Police removed a couple of signs at an overpass on [I-95] in the Byfield-Newburyport area some time ago and explained that it was a distraction to drivers. Also state property. What's the difference? Do the State Police make decisions based on politics?"
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<br />"I thought posting signs/banners on highway overpasses created a driving hazard and is illegal, and yet the number of overpasses decorated with American flags, memorials, and military flags seem to multiply each day," wrote Susan of Groton last month. "Can I post my peace flags on the overpass of my choice?"</blockquote>Ridiculous.
<br />
<br />First, I drive a lot. In the last month, I've covered much of the Massachusetts length of I-90, I-93, I-95, I-495, I-290, Route 2, and Route 3. Most of the signs and messages to which these writers are referring are not just "patriotic displays" of the flag, but specific messages to soldiers, Marines, or airmen (relatively few sailors, based on my observation), usually welcoming them home from Iraq, Afghanistan, or other overseas postings. If these people aren't interested in welcoming home the men and women who have volunteered to put their lives on the line, in what way, exactly, are they "as patriotic as anyone" or willing to "support our troops?"
<br />
<br />Apparently, these navel-gazers think that the flags and "welcome home" messages are aimed at persuading them to change their opinions on the war. They couldn't possibly be directed towards the people that they are, usually, <u>explicitly addressed to</u>. If "Susan of Groton" is worried about the "driving hazard," and not her offended political sensibilities, she sure as heck wouldn't be talking about adding to the visual clutter with peace flags.
<br />
<br />I do want to make one positive observation -- at least the letter-writers have chosen to express themselves by speaking out and writing. One hopes that they won't contemplate <a href="http://www.musil.blogspot.com/2004_09_05_musil_archive.html#109476216591524324">vandalism</a> as an alternative.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095800873071514132004-09-21T17:06:00.000-04:002004-09-21T17:07:53.070-04:00<b>Baby steps towards space tourism</b>: Here's a <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/15/_xeni_flies_zero_g_1.html">first-hand account</a> (with pictures!) of a ride on the Zero-Gravity Corporation's parabolic weightlessness trip:<blockquote>And then, when the weight is worst, the invisible hands cramming your spine into the plane's padded floor lose interest and lift away. What was concrete becomes cotton. The hands reach beneath you, and lift you up into nothing, and you float. And all there is to do when this happens for the very first time is to laugh. Because it's impossible. Because it's unnatural.
<br />
<br />But the joke in your bones is that it feels perfectly natural, like all your life you were intended to float. After all, just before you came into the world, that's what you were doing in liquid. And when your life ends and you leave, there you are again, becoming vapor. Breaking down from matter to dust to air. Floating...
<br />
<br />As I sit here, I can still feel it in my body. It comes in waves. I want to hit "post," shut the application, close the laptop lid. Then bend my knees a little and shove off, push up into the air above my desk. Do the superman. Do a backflip. Bust a "crouching tiger hidden dragon" move, karate-chop martian foes mid-air. And float away into bed. It's natural now, and will remain that way forever. I miss it already.</blockquote>It may be a while before I can afford to give it a try, but it sounds like they'll have a lot of customers... and great word of mouth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095800339421368482004-09-21T16:55:00.000-04:002004-09-21T16:58:59.420-04:00<b>Baby steps towards space tourism</b>: Here's a <a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2004/09/15/_xeni_flies_zero_g_1.html">first-hand account</a> (with pictures!) of a ride on the Zero-Gravity Corporation's parabolic weightlessness trip:<blockquote>And then, when the weight is worst, the invisible hands cramming your spine into the plane's padded floor lose interest and lift away. What was concrete becomes cotton. The hands reach beneath you, and lift you up into nothing, and you float. And all there is to do when this happens for the very first time is to laugh. Because it's impossible. Because it's unnatural.
<br />
<br />But the joke in your bones is that it feels perfectly natural, like all your life you were intended to float. After all, just before you came into the world, that's what you were doing in liquid. And when your life ends and you leave, there you are again, becoming vapor. Breaking down from matter to dust to air. Floating...
<br />
<br />As I sit here, I can still feel it in my body. It comes in waves. I want to hit "post," shut the application, close the laptop lid. Then bend my knees a little and shove off, push up into the air above my desk. Do the superman. Do a backflip. Bust a "crouching tiger hidden dragon" move, karate-chop martian foes mid-air. And float away into bed. It's natural now, and will remain that way forever. I miss it already.</blockquote>It may be a while before I can afford to give it a try, but it sounds like they'll have a lot of customers... and great word of mouth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095540287765312262004-09-18T16:38:00.000-04:002004-09-18T16:44:47.766-04:00<b>Kerry: President Should Watch TV</b>: OK - I freely admit this is a cheap shot. But Sen. Kerry deserves it, for <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect/cst-nws-kerry18.html">saying this</a> in his stump speech: "With all due respect to the president, has he turned on the evening news lately?... Is he talking about the same war that the rest of us are talking about?"
<br />
<br />Are you kidding? The <u>evening news</u>? Maybe the reason that President Bush and Sen. Kerry have different perspectives (or do they?) on the war in Iraq is because President Bush isn't foolish enough to rely on information from CBS News.
<br />
<br />But maybe Sen. Kerry does get his information from the evening news. If I recall correctly (<a href="http://www.command-post.org/2004/2_archives/013468.html">I do!</a>) Sen. Kerry has passed up official intelligence briefings because he doesn't have time.
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<br />My fondest wish for 2008 is that we could have two serious candidates for President. And that one of them would be fiscally conservative.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095426809166425322004-09-17T08:49:00.000-04:002004-09-17T09:13:29.166-04:00<b>The Civil War lingers</b>: I've often been mocked for the fact that I mix the word "y'all" in with an occasional "you all" in my speech. After all, I come from Indiana, a state that's clearly part of the North. Some even take offense -- liberal northern intellectuals because they'd prefer to paint all who use "y'all" in broad spokes as moral degenerates; Southerners because (to paint/tarnish in ridiculous broad strokes) they can't stomach that someone who won the Civil War can have a claim to "their word."
<br />
<br />My usual response talks about Indiana as a transportation hub, of the passage of the National Road through Indianapolis and its role as a dividing line, migration patterns, etc. But another factor is that parts of the Midwest share enough cultural elements with parts of the South that it's a naturally-receptive ground for Southern culture. Fried chicken (Hoosier-style, of course) is the main event at many celebrated restaurants. The Brickyard 400 helped launch NASCAR's nationwide expansion when it came to Indianapolis in 1994. And now, more proof: The Mississippi-based quick-casual chain McAlister's Deli <a href="http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/179337-9742-223.html">has opened to great success</a>. Mmm. Sweet tea. I think I may need to make a stop there on my next trip home.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095352203119546782004-09-16T13:22:00.000-04:002004-09-16T12:30:03.120-04:00<b>Sen. Kerry - a man of the 80s</b>: First came the comparisons between Sen. Kerry and Gov. Dukakis (FWIW, I think the Kerry campaign has a lot more life left in it than this comparison would suggest). Now, David Adesnik <a href="http://oxblog.blogspot.com/2004_09_12_oxblog_archive.html#109531104298551220">compares Sen. Kerry to Lt. Col. Oliver North</a>: "[I]t just goes to show that you shouldn't put a war hero in charge of our nation's foreign policy."
<br />
<br />Ouch.
<br />
<br />But "Kerry, 80s Man" makes a ton of sense to me. In the 80s, we still had a national obsession with Vietnam. Popular television shows like "Magnum, PI" and "The A-Team" focused on Vietnam-era war heroes and the continuing effects of Vietnam on their lives. In the 80s, Democrats obsessed over a conservative president who they saw as a more serious threat to America than our true threats abroad (and their domestic agents). As a man who married into money (twice), Sen. Kerry also exemplifies personal values of the era.
<br />
<br />No wonder this election is stuck in the past.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1095215366515614812004-09-14T22:00:00.000-04:002004-09-14T22:29:26.516-04:00<b>Religious exclusion</b>: An event scheduled for this Friday at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey is <a href="http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40438">sparking controversy</a>:<blockquote>The Muslim Youth Division of the Islamic Circle of North America and the Muslim American Society, two of the largest Muslim organizations in America, have arranged exclusive use of Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, N.J., for the entire day Friday.
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<br />The ICNA website boasts, "First Time Ever – All Day – Entire Park Exclusively for Muslims!"...
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<br />Debbie Nauser, vice president of public relations for the Six Flags theme park, confirmed the park would be open only for "Muslims and their friends."
<br />
<br />Six Flags has previously hosted other event days, including an annual Passover theme in which the park is predominantly filled with Orthodox Jews, but the venue is still open to outsiders and seasonal ticket holders, and organizers of previous events have never claimed exclusivity of the park.</blockquote>Question: If the park is open for "Muslims and their friends," then that's not "exclusively for Muslims," is it?
<br />
<br />Daniel Pipes <a href="http://www.danielpipes.org/blog/316">asks</a>: "One wonders how the organizers know who is a Muslim or not. Need one recite the shahada to enter the fairgrounds?"
<br />
<br /><b>More</b>: The Islamic Circle of North America's website <a href="http://www.icnanj.org/sixflags/">notes that a number of nearby schools</a> will be closing for the day so that their students can attend.
<br />
<br />It will be interesting to see whether this stirs up controversy beyond watchdogs like Dan Pipes and the Middle East Forum. Undoubtedly one reason that it's been watched closely is that the ICNA is associated with jihadists and radical beliefs, and has invited some <a href="http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/000454.php">sinister speakers</a> to past events.
<br />
<br />It's not exactly extraordinary to see a self-sponsored segregated event in America. After all, the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/US/9706/18/baptists.disney/">Baptist boycott</a> of Disney is driven in part by the annual <a href="http://www.gayday.com/schedule/future_dates.asp">Gay Days</a> at Disney World. Fortune 500 companies, such as one of my summer employers, rent theme parks for private use all of the time. I'm sure church organizations and racial-pride groups must do the same. And if you're renting the park, it makes sense that you get to choose who stays in and stays out.
<br />
<br />One legal issue, though... unlike traditional rental events, it appears from the ICNA website that Six Flags will continue to sell tickets that day -- from the Q&A: "Will the ticket price be $20.00 at the gate on the event day? Answer: NO, tickets will be sold at a higher price on the day of the event at the Six Flags ticket booths. We therefore recommend you to buy the tickets well in advance for this event."
<br />
<br />If that means that Six Flags is selling tickets, regardless of whether someone has been invited by the sponsoring organization, the theme park would seem to be retaining its character as a public accommodation (<i>See</i> 1964 Civil Rights Act, defining a public accommodation to include "any motion picture house, theater, concert hall, sports arena, stadium or other place of exhibition or entertainment"). If so, the park cannot turn visitors away on the basis of their religion any more than they could hold a "whites-only" day and turn away people of other races.
<br />
<br />I'll look into this further when I get the chance...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1094921082647732112004-09-11T13:42:00.000-04:002004-09-11T12:46:11.703-04:00<b>Remembering 9/11</b>: Jason Van Steenwyck returns from a hurricane relief mission just in time to <a href="http://iraqnow.blogspot.com/2004/09/in-memoriam.html">post this poem</a>:<blockquote>First fight. Then fiddle. Ply the slipping string
<br />With feathery sorcery; muzzle the note
<br />With hurting love; the music that they wrote
<br />Bewitch, bewilder. Qualify to sing
<br />Threadwise. Devise no salt, no hempen thing
<br />For the dear instrument to bear. Devote
<br />The bows to silks and honey. Be remote
<br />A while from malice and from murdering.
<br />But first to arms, to armor. Carry hate
<br />In front of you and harmony behind.
<br />Be deaf to music and to beauty blind.
<br />Win war. Rise bloody, maybe not too late
<br />For having first to civilize a space
<br />Wherein to play your violin wiith grace.
<br />
<br /> Gwendolyn Brooks
<br /> 1949</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1094856000954543002004-09-10T18:31:00.000-04:002004-09-10T18:40:00.956-04:00At <a href="http://fedsoc.blogspot.com">Ex Parte</a>, I've suggested that quick, decisive action in response to a Beslan-style hostage taking requires setting objectives in advance. As I think about it more, I wonder if one of the lessons of the Beslan attack hasn't been lost in the media (and official) focus on Russian miscues, as opposed to the terrorist tactics.
<br />
<br />Consider how the climax of the attack <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6704-2004Sep8.html">unfolded</a>: Russian officials now believe the first explosion was triggered as the terrorists tried to rearrange the explosives.
<br />
<br />And that some of the explosives were reportedly suspended from basketball hoops, high above the gym, while others were planted in such a way as to collapse the structure.
<br />
<br />And that the leader of the terrorist showed a willingness to detonate the explosives strapped to individual terrorists.
<br />
<br />It's a diabolical setup, really, and anyone contemplating how to "react decisively" to this type of attack should try to envision how the Hollywood ending goes: if Bruce Willis and the Dirty Dozen were trying to kill the terrorists, and free the hostages, what would it take to succeed?
<br />
<br />If the terrorists have time to set up this sort of arrangement, I can't figure it out. One possibility is a rapid response, not allowing the terrorists time to set up such a complex explosive arrangement. But it's hard to imagine whether we could really respond that quickly. And so I think this poses a really hard tactical problem, which in turn affects the strategy for dealing with it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1094734707777823312004-09-09T08:54:00.000-04:002004-09-09T08:58:27.776-04:00<b>More lives saved by firearms</b>? The Boston Globe reports that <a href="http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2004/09/09/errant_bison_buffaloes_motorists_on_i_495/">Boston drivers dodged a buffalo yesterday</a>. No, it didn't fly -- it escaped from a livestock trailer. Fortunately, the driver was armed and, alerted by the honking of other drivers, rapidly shot the beast.
<br />
<br />The best part of the story? The animal's name: Houdini.
<br />
<br />Alas, there's no way to blame this on the incompetence of the state or local highway departments. Unless, perhaps, the trailer became unlatched when it hit a pothole?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1094694771631284672004-09-08T21:46:00.000-04:002004-09-08T23:30:27.130-04:00<b>Business-trip blogging</b>: While some of my fellow HLS bloggers spent the last weeks of their summer on vacation in <a href="http://bamber.blogspot.com/2004_09_01_bamber_archive.html#109467438291437596">Eastern Europe</a>, <a href="http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/waddle/2004/08/22">Western Europe</a>, or simply celebrating <a href="http://jeremyblachman.blogspot.com/2004/08/happy-birthday-weblog-my-blog-turns-2.html">blogging anniversaries</a>, I decided to work for my scenery. Most law students are aware that big law firms will treat them to tremendous social experiences over the summer. When my interest in having real responsibility upon graduation and having the freedom to practice in multiple practice areas led me to an in-house counsel's office, I didn't imagine that it would include a business trip to Hawaii. And it almost didn't -- it required extending my work commitment by a week and cancelling my vacation plans. Like those on vacation, however, I do have pictures to share:<hr><img src="http://wso.williams.edu/~esoskin/Sunrise_West_012.jpg"><center>Sunrise over Maui, viewed from Haleakala</center><hr><img src="http://wso.williams.edu/~esoskin/Sunset2.jpg"><center>Trees at sunset on Makena Beach</center><hr>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1094694379641800692004-09-08T21:39:00.000-04:002004-09-08T23:34:19.966-04:00<b>HLS Classes Begin Tomorrow</b>: And if you didn't know that, and you're reading this blog right now, you've got some time on your hands.
<br />
<br />I'm back... perhaps Greg will be soon, too.
<br />
<br />Whatever this headline means, it can't be good:
<br /><b>One in Five Germans Wants the Berlin Wall Back</b>
<br />
<br />From <a href="http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6181106">Reuters</a>:<blockquote>Fourteen years and a trillion euros after reunification one in five Germans would like to see the barrier that split the country during the Cold War put back, a survey found Wednesday.
<br />
<br />A poll by the Forsa institute found a quarter of western Germans wishing the 15 million east Germans were cut off again by the Berlin Wall, living in a different state, while 12 percent of eastern Germans wanted out of the united Germany.
<br />
<br />Many westerners said they were disgruntled because they have had to foot the bill for reunification -- 24 percent said they had suffered financially as a result.
<br />
<br />In the formerly communist east, which has twice the unemployment as in the west and where wages are still below western levels, one-third said they were no better off financially because of unification and the end of communism.</blockquote>I suppose it's a good sign that more West Germans favor returning the East to the repressive, totalitarian state of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Honecker">Erich Honecker</a>. And it's good news that 2/3 of East Germans consider themselves better off financially. Hmm.
<br />
<br />Hat tip: <a href="http://www.blackfive.net">BlackFive</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084473638897138562004-05-13T14:34:00.000-04:002004-05-13T14:40:38.896-04:00<b>Gun-happy culture</b>: Afghan weddings are not the only place where the idiotic tradition of firing guns in the air as a celebration is prevalent. Iraqis celebrated yesterday's 3-1 victory over Saudi Arabia in soccer (which qualified them to play in the Olympics) by <a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,9550068%255E1702,00.html">doing the same</a>:<blockquote>Fans glued to television screens erupted in traditional Iraqi manner, blasting Kalashnikov rifles and machine guns into the air when Hawar Taher made it 3-1 a minute from time.
<br />
<br />Carloads of men drove crazily round Baghdad, horns blaring.
<br />
<br />"We are all ecstatic," national Olympic coach Adnan Hamed said in Amman.
<br />
<br />"Iraq has a bright future before it. I'm sure we'll do well in the Olympics."</blockquote> Sen. Kerry has called the war in Iraq "a failure." I'll say -- we haven't even managed to instruct them on basic gun safety.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084419092597982782004-05-12T23:24:00.000-04:002004-05-12T23:31:32.596-04:00<b>What's the sound of no one laughing? Just tune in to...</b> So, not only has Air America <a href="http://www.instapundit.com/archives/014836.php">harmed radio diversity across the country</a>, it's managed to progress from unfunny to creepy in a very short period of time.
<br />
<br />To continue an emerging theme about the collapse of good taste -- the New York Daily News appears to be the only media outlet <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/col/story/192671p-166266c.html">that's covered this</a>:<blockquote>Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "ought to be tortured." President Bush should be taken out and shot.
<br />
<br />Those are a few nutso nuggets from the hosts of Air America Radio...
<br />
<br />Rock bottom came when [Randi Rhodes] compared Bush and his family to the Corleones in the "Godfather" saga. "Like Fredo, somebody ought to take him out fishing and phuw," she said, imitating the sound of gunfire.
<br />
<br />During a day of torture by radio, I heard ads for Hewlett-Packard, Greyhound and, especially, General Motors. I asked GM why it appeared in such shows.
<br />
<br />Ryndee Carney, GM's manager of marketing communications, said the ads were wrongly picked up from an earlier deal with WLIB. She said the station was ordered to "cease and desist" yesterday, and added: "GM will not advertise on any Air America affiliates."</blockquote>Rhodes is supposedly a comedian, so I think it's safe to assume this was a joke. A very bad, unfunny joke, but still.
<br />
<br />Originally posted at <a href="fedsoc.blogspot.com">Ex Parte</a>. Apologies for the cross-posting, but I wanted to build in the bit about reduced programming diversity in honor of today's Communications Law final.
<br />
<br />And now, it's off to bed. Like <a href="http://bamber.blogspot.com/2004_05_01_bamber_archive.html#108436190818339500">others around Cambridge</a>, my night was marked by tossing and turning. It must have something to do with living in a town where it regularly gets hot and humid, yet no one has air-conditioning.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084332416426896372004-05-11T23:19:00.000-04:002004-05-11T23:26:56.426-04:00<b>Back off, man. I'm a...</b>: What do you call someone with too much time on his hands? An object of curiosity on the Internet. In this case, a demonstration of the principle that you really can buy anything on eBay, if you're willing to pay enough. The current bid of $660 is not enough to buy you this <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3815314978">completely accurate replica of the costume from Ghostbusters</a>, right down to a 35-pound "proton pack" and accurate sound and light effects. Buy this, and you're sure to be the hit of your Halloween party, even if you're not doomed to be visited by a demon from the Dimension of Pain.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084285950769459822004-05-11T09:54:00.000-04:002004-05-11T10:33:29.480-04:00<b>Evidence: Good, Bad, or Ugly</b>: FrontPage Magazine carries a breathless headline from controversial scholar Laurie Mylroie: <a href="http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=13323">The Saddam-9/11 Link Confirmed</a>.
<br />
<br />Unless familiar with the exaggeration embodied by headlines like these, one might expect dramatic revelations in an article like this. Instead, Ms. Mylroie reports on the emergence of a new piece of intelligence information corroborating the meeting of 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta and Iraqi intelligence official Ahmed al-Ani in Prague in April, 2001.
<br />
<br />What is this corroborating piece of evidence? According to Ms. Mylroie, Czech intelligence has confirmed that al-Ani's appointment calendar refers to a meeting with a "Hamburg student." Previously, it had been uncovered that Atta had applied for a visa to the Czech Republic as a "Hamburg student." Got it?
<br />
<br />Where does this bold new piece of evidence come from? It isn't clear -- it's chronicled by Edward Jaye Epstein on his website, which assembles assorted evidence, attempting to answer such questions as "Were the anthrax attacks and the 9/11 attacks linked?"
<br />
<br />This article has attracted my attention for two reasons, however. First, while the conclusion that Ms. Mylorie draws is pretty broad for the evidence provided (even if this meeting occurred, if this is the only meeting between Iraq and Atta that we can demonstrate, why would we then conclude that this is a link between Iraq and 9/11?), the tenor of debate around Iraq, North Korea, al Qaeda, 9/11, etc. never seems to understand that this is how most intelligence-gathering works. You're rarely in an ideal world where you can "know" what the other side is doing. Instead, the name of the game is reconstructing relationships and motivations based on a smattering of facts mined from an enormous sea, and uniting these facts with a broader understanding of the intelligence target, its methods, and goals.
<br />
<br />Second, while the evidence Ms. Mylroie has its weaknesses, it is <b>evidence</b>. It may not be incontrovertible evidence, it may not lead inexorably to a particular conclusion, but it is evidence. Its existence highlights the fact that one of the media elite's chestnuts about Iraq is misstated at best, and untrue at worst. Time and again, we have heard that there is "no evidence" of an Iraq/al Qaeda link --
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/19/60minutes/main607356.shtml">Richard Clarke</a>: "There's absolutely no evidence that Iraq was supporting al Qaeda, ever."
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2003/09/16/cheney_link_of_iraq_911_challenged/">Sen. Max Cleland</a>: "The vice president trying to justify some connection [between Iraq and 9/11] is ludicrous."
<br />
<br /><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/10/cheney.terror/">CNN</a>: "No evidence links Iraq to those attacks."
<br />
<br />The fact that 69% of Americans, or some similar number, believe there was a link between Iraq and 9/11 has been repeatedly cited by Democrats as evidence that the White House is lying, that the American people are dumb, and so forth. But the difference between "no evidence" and "some evidence" in deciding how to evaluate such a view is huge: it creates a disputed question of fact, exactly the sort of question that in a judicial context, we trust juries to decide.
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084226634011764682004-05-10T17:56:00.000-04:002004-05-10T18:03:54.010-04:00<b>Government Policy Pointless?</b> From the <a href="http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19696_20040506.htm">Detroit Free Press</a>:
<br /><ul>
<br />Wayne County Commissioners passed a slavery-era disclosure ordinance Thursday with 10 of 15 commissioners voting for approval.
<br />
<br />The ordinance requires every county contractor to search its records -- and that of its predecessors -- and submit any records, or knowledge of investments, or profits from the slave industry. The disclosure includes insurance policies issued to slaveholders that provided coverage for injury, death or other loss of slaves.
<br /></ul>
<br />I see absolutely no point to this. This is going too far to try and repair a part of history that cannot be repaired. What exactly will the county do if a contractor finds records of past slave activity? Not do business with them? Pay them less? All based on events that happened over 150 years ago? This seems to be both economically inefficient and a horrible way to try and repair the damage done by slavery. The Free Press agrees and said so <a href="http://www.detnews.com/2004/editorial/0404/28/a08-134348.htm">in this editorial</a>.
<br />
<br />And while they are at it, why doesn't Wayne County make anyone disclose any past abuses and mass slaughters of Native American tribes. They won't have to look far -- Wayne County sits on land occupied by American Indians until European settlers drove them out.Greghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09774469951448261352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084049399490818472004-05-08T16:46:00.000-04:002004-05-08T16:54:28.793-04:00<b>Divisions in Iraq</b>: U.S. news sources have focused heavily on al-Sadr's call for retaliation for the prisoner abuses. Relatively few have mentioned the signs that al-Sadr's support is weakening. The latest report, from the <a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=3379">Beirut Daily Star</a> (second half of the article):<blockquote>Meanwhile in Iraq, Moqtada Sadr's month-long uprising took a double battering Friday as Najaf's Shiite religious establishment told the rebel cleric's militiamen to go home.
<br />
<br />An unequivocal denunciation of Sadr's Mehdi Army by respected cleric Sheikh Sadreddin Kubbanji was the clearest indication yet that time was running out on Sadr's insurrection, and as the US Army picked off his foot soldiers.
<br />
<br />"Listen to the advice of the learned ones. You are our beloved youth and we care about you, but go back to your home where you came from and fight the occupation and the Baathists there," Kubbanji told thousands of worshippers at the Imam Ali Mausoleum, one of the most revered shrines in Shiite Islam.
<br />
<br />"The Najafis will be responsible for protecting Najaf."
<br />
<br />US soldiers later killed 12 of Sadr's militiamen in clashes around Najaf, a US military spokesman said.
<br />
<br />Kubbanji's sermon came after 150 Shiite religious and tribal leaders met Tuesday in Najaf and called on Sadr to end his rebellion.</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1084024628055901342004-05-08T09:48:00.000-04:002004-05-08T10:01:36.856-04:00<b>National missile defense advances</b>: Well, <a href="http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/news_releases.mhtml?d=57129">this report</a> certainly seems like good news:<blockquote><b>Northrop Grumman-Built High-Energy Laser Destroys Large-Caliber Rocket in History-Making Test</b><p>The U.S. Army's Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (MTHEL) testbed destroyed a rocket on May 4 that's larger, faster and that flies higher than previous threats destroyed by the laser weapon demonstrator. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) built the demonstrator for the Army and the Israel Ministry of Defence (IMoD).
<br />
<br />Tuesday's successful intercept and destruction of the large-caliber rocket carrying a live warhead took place at 12:45 p.m. MDT during a live-fire test of the MTHEL testbed at the Army's White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
<br />
<br />The large-caliber rocket is capable of twice the range, achieves more than three times the altitude, and carries a much larger warhead than previous targets. Many countries already possess large-caliber rockets. The destroyed rocket is representative of threats faced by U.S. and Israeli forces.
<br />
<br />the MTHEL prototype will give the Army its first deployable laser weapon system. Northrop Grumman began work on the existing testbed in 1996 when it was called the THEL/Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrator (ACTD).
<br />
<br />MTHEL will be the first tactical and mobile, directed-energy weapon capable of shooting down rockets and other tactical targets in flight to protect deployed forces and civilians of the U.S. and its friends and allies.
<br />
<br />In testing to date, the MTHEL testbed has destroyed 28 Katyusha rockets and five artillery shells in flight. </blockquote> The very idea of shooting down rockets and missiles in-flight has been ridiculed by the press and by Democrats since President Reagan first proposed it to the nation some two decades ago. Yet despite significant obstacles thrown in the development path by a Democratic Congress and then President Clinton, it seems that missile-defense programs are finally making advances.
<br />
<br />It's true that in our current war with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups of global scope, we face other threats that have more immediacy than missile defense is designed to combat. But it's nice to be making progress against old dangers as well. And with the recent news that <a href="http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2552199">North Korea has successfully developed a missile</a> that can strike U.S. territory in Guam, and possibly Hawaii, it seems wiser and wiser to have embarked on a course that can protect us from the threat of desperate madmen.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6534231.post-1083903409200208522004-05-07T00:10:00.000-04:002004-05-07T00:21:16.640-04:00<b>Elsewhere in Israel...</b>: The <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1083813027418">Navy has recommenced</a> port visits to the city of Haifa, with a call by <a href="http://navysite.de/dd/dd988.htm"><i>USS Thorn</i></a>, a <i>Spruance</i>-class destroyer.
<br />
<br />At one time, Haifa was one of the U.S. Navy's favorite Mediterranean ports of call, with dozens of ships visiting every year. After the bombing of the <i>USS Cole</i> by al Qaeda terrorists in Aden in 2000, however, the Navy has been staying away.
<br />
<br />Does this mean:
<br />1. Improved confidence by the Navy in its ability to provide security in harbor situations?
<br />2. A show of support by the U.S. for Israel?
<br />3. A rebalancing between terrorist threats and convenience?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com