Iraq Scientist Says Saddam Hiding Arms Underground

A former top Iraqi scientist said on Tuesday he believed Saddam Hussein had dismantled his nuclear program but was making chemical and biological weapons that were hidden deep underground beyond the eyes of U.N. inspectors.

Hussain Al Shahristani said the Iraqi president did not have the capacity to deliver a payload of the weapons to distant countries but could pass them to overseas cells of supporters which he had built up over the years.

“There’s no way that they can really find them, unless by pure accident,” Shahristani, a former chief scientific advisor to the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission, told a briefing organized by an association of foreign journalists in the Philippines.

“These materials are hidden deep underground or in a tunnel system.”

Hmmmm…..

100 bongs a day led to psychotic rampage And suffocation.

A man who smoked up to 100 marijuana bongs a day went on a violent rampage, hijacking cars and assaulting people because of his paranoid fear of police.

Suffering a drug-induced psychosis, Brett Stuart Matthews, 27, assaulted 12 people, including seven police, in September last year.

Magistrate Jelena Popovic sentenced him to three-and-a-half years’ jail with a non-parole period of two-and-a-half years.

She told Matthews that although he had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she could not sentence him as a mentally ill person because he should have known the dangers of using “huge amounts of marijuana”.

For CNN, Fox’s open-&-shuttle case of piracy

During coverage of the space shuttle Columbia’s disintegration, people in CNN’s control room thought the picture they saw on rival Fox News Channel looked familiar.

So they tried a little experiment.

The producers superimposed a tiny “CNN” logo on the upper left corner of the network’s screen as it showed the shuttle breaking into pieces. Blip! The same logo appeared on Fox News Channel.

Then they decided to abruptly switch cameras so a picture of correspondent Miles O’Brien appeared. For two seconds ? until it was hurriedly replaced with a view of NASA’s mission control ? it looked like O’Brien was working for Fox, too.

The shuttle disaster provided a vivid example of the lengths to which television networks sometimes go to get the most compelling pictures for a big story.

Are War Protesters Really ‘Mainstream’?

Roughly 100,000 people crammed 20 city blocks in New York City this Saturday. Bearing signs proclaiming “Bush Is a Terrorist,” “Oil Is Murder,” and “Change Regimes in the U.S.,” demonstrators blocks away from the base of the rally strained to listen to the amplified remarks of Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, and other familiar activist luminaries.

While this demonstration and hundreds of others garnered page-one coverage across the globe, the attitudes and beliefs of the actual protestors received scant attention. In what has become an almost monthly ritual, mobs of protestors demonstrate in major cities against the Bush administration, and the mass media then vaguely infers that the protestors represent a cross-section of society.

CNN paraphrased its own on-scene reporter’s observations that “the crowd was diverse, with older men and women in fur coats, parents with young children, military veterans and veterans of the anti-war movement.” An AP story quoted a protestor at a Knoxville demonstration stating that he was “surprised it’s not just the usual suspects.” He maintained, “Bush must be really screwing up to bring out the mainstream.”

But did the mainstream really turn out in Manhattan?

Sovereign Nation of Blue Couch

Chirac blasts eastern Europeans over pro-American stance, warns on EU membership

French President Jacques Chirac launched a withering attack Monday on eastern European nations who signed letters backing the U.S. position on Iraq, warning it could jeopardize their chances of joining the European Union (news - web sites).

“It is not really responsible behavior,” he told a news conference. “It is not well brought up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet.”

Chirac was angered when EU candidates Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined pro-U.S. EU members such as Britain, Spain and Italy last month in a letter supporting Washington’s line on Iraq against the more dovish stance of France and Germany.

Paris was further upset when 10 other eastern European nations signed a similar letter a few days later.

France argued that the moves aggravated splits in the 15-nation EU and backed the ideas put forward by U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld who had earlier spoke of France and Germany as “old Europe” in contrast to the easterners seeking to join the EU and NATO (news - web sites).

“Concerning the candidate countries, honestly I felt they acted frivolously because entry into the European Union implies a minimum of understanding for the others,” Chirac told reporters after an emergency EU summit on Iraq.

He warned the candidates the position could be “dangerous” because the parliaments of the 15 EU nations still have to ratify last December’s decision for 10 new members to join the bloc on May 1, 2004.

Chirac particularly warned Romania and Bulgaria, who are still negotiating to enter the bloc in 2007.

“Romania and Bulgaria were particularly irresponsible to (sign the letter) when their position is really delicate,” Chirac said. “If they wanted to diminish their chances of joining Europe they could not have found a better way.”

So, wait, France, let me see if I get this right. How dare the US say “you’re either with us or against us” and “split” the EU and NATO when, well, you can just jump up and down and say “if you don’t support France we won’t let you play anymore!!!!” And who the hell cares about France?

Pets with their heads in bags of food!

Begin Guy Mode 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition! End Guy Mode

I hate snow. Not only did the plow block me in but my efforts to free my car resulted in it sliding into a ditch. Yea!

On April 4th, Dan Bern will be playing at the Birchmere. On April 5th the Birchmere will host The Gourds. Man, two shows in a row, and Friday and Saturday’s to boot! Anyone wanna go?

Al-Qaeda had planned attacks on US on Feb 12. Members of Congress targeted

The US has credible intelligence that al Qaeda had an attack or multiple attacks set to begin at some point last week and that members of the Congress could have been the terrorist outfit’s likely target, a media report said today.

Counter-terrorism officials were today quoted as saying that they had received a phone tip that members of the United States Congress could have been targets of assassination attempts by Islamic fundamentalists.

Intelligence reports gathered from human and electronic sources around the world suggested what intelligence officials had suspected for weeks- al Qaeda operatives “Are in the execution phase of some of their operations,” a senior US offficial was quoted by ‘Time’ magazine as saying.

Officials said the intelligence specifically mentioned that the likely targets were New York City and Washington on February 12.

Even though the feared attacks failed to materialise, the anxieties did not subside and inside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) fears of a devastating attack are as high as they had been in months, particularly because of the possibility that “other tools” or biological and chemical weapons could be used, it said.

Big Music’s Broken Record

It’s the busy season for number-crunchers at the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). By the end of February, the industry trade association will release new statistics on what it says is a dizzying two-year decline in CD sales. The latest figures, from the first six months of 2002, show a 7.2% slide in CD sales from 397 million to 369 million. Revenues fell 5.1%, to $5.2 billion. Full-year sales for 2002 are said to be just as dismal — if not worse.

Piracy is the drumbeat pulsing beneath the music industry’s blues, the RIAA says. After all, CD sales defied gravity and rose during the last three recessions. It wasn’t until Napster and other Internet file-sharing services such as KaZaA took off that sales began to dip. Says an RIAA spokesman: “In our view, piracy is the primary reason for the decline in sales.”

Not everyone agrees. In fact, some even hold the view that the RIAA is presenting a misleading view of CD sales trends to bolster its ongoing war against copyrighted-music pirates. And the RIAA’s numbers have been convincing to more than a few policymakers in the U.S. and Canada, leading to what many consider draconian and unfair proposals, regulations, and taxes for people who burn music onto CDs.

LESS STICKY STUFF. Now, George Ziemann is striking back. Ziemann, a musician and the owner of MacWizards Music, a Tempe (Ariz.) music production company, posted an article, “RIAA Statistics Don’t Add Up To Piracy”, on his Web site on Dec. 11. In it, he claims that one reason sales might be down is that the industry released 27,000 new titles in 2001, according to a speech made by an RIAA official, a 25% drop from the high of 38,900 in 1999.

The RIAA disputes Ziemann’s analysis, saying it hasn’t released an official tally of annual new releases since 1999. Industry-research firm Nielsen SoundScan has run the numbers, however, and the RIAA doesn’t dispute its findings. According to SoundScan, new releases in 2001 totaled around 31,734, still a 20.3% drop.

Releases rose to 33,443 in 2002, but that’s still 14% below the 1999 record. “The music industry’s [modus operandi] is to throw things against the wall and see what sticks,” says Nathan Brackett, senior editor at Rolling Stone. “If they’re throwing 20% less stuff out there, there’s less chance something will stick.”

I still think the fact a CD now costs $20 isn’t helping either.

Looks like they’ve already closed the Federal Government tomorrow, so the three day weekend goes to four. Yeah.

So I’ve created a Yahoo Group called J’s Nuts that’s just for me and my rants and writings and all things J. Yeah, just another one of many things I’m doing to whore myself out, but so what? I figure it’ll be a good way to keep myself motivated to write and rant if I know I have a ready audience, you know? Yeah, yeah, what an ego stroke, but so what. We all need one now and then.

Build a Snowman If you’re too lazy to go outside and do it yourself.

Public Service Announcement

I have a little anger I need to work out right now. You — the ones who’ve been emailing me for the last several days — you know about that. You’ve been mad since 2000, haven’t you, mad with the blind impotent rage of a Republican ca. 1997, and thanks to your flood of emails, I got to share.

I just deleted a large number of them. Thanks to everyone who made my President’s Day Weekend something special. You’re doing a winning job of arguing your side — I’ve always said that if you want to convince people to eschew violence, you should start out your communication by comparing them to Hitler and liberally lace all correspondance with pornographic suggestions. It helps, of course, if you can accuse them of advocating things they didn’t say, and if you can throw in gratuitious references to their alleged support of military actions that took place when they were in grammar school. But mostly, I think, what really sells it is the cussing.

Gotta love hate mail. And what’s with the attacking? How come everyone’s calling for a debate on the issue yet all they can do is attack? Why not, oh, I don’t know, be nice and try and start a debate based on reasoned and thought out opinions based on facts? Just a thought.

This show is going to suck and if this person wins, I’m leaving the country.

Who Wants to Be the President?

It’s tempting to make fun of the idea as a cross between “Survivor” and C-SPAN, a frivolous sideshow to the presidential campaign.

Which is why it’s a tad disconcerting when executive producer R.J. Cutler insists that his let’s-do-a-show-about-picking-a-presidential-candidate idea will be good for democracy (and presumably ratings).

“People are going to see how hard it is and have a newfound appreciation for what this kind of journey is all about,” he says. “You’re going to see real leaders emerge.”

“American Candidate,” which debuts in January on Rupert Murdoch’s FX network, rides the reality-TV bandwagon by staging a competition to pick a faux presidential candidate. The wannabes — with no official announcement, 5,000 people have already written in — will be whittled down to 18 finalists, all but one of whom will be voted off the political island through phone and Internet polls.

And, really though, what kind of respectable candidate’s going to even try this? We’re gonna have crackpots and longshots doing this because anyone worth their salt knows this is a political dead end, especially when they lose…

NATO Breaks Monthlong Impasse on Defense Planning for Turkey

Wait, ‘monthlong impass’? Wasn’t it only two weeks?

Breaking a monthlong stalemate that saw its biggest rift since the Cold War, NATO ended an impasse over defensive actions in case of war in Iraq, reaffirming alliance solidarity while supporting U.N. efforts for a peaceful solution.

The agreement was reached after the alliance pulled an end-run around France.

For a month, France, Germany and Belgium blocked a U.S. proposal to begin planning to help defend Turkey from possible retaliatory attacks by Saddam Hussein in the event of another war in the Gulf. They argued such a move was premature and would undermine U.N. efforts to avoid war.

On Sunday, the 19-member alliance turned to its Defense Planning Committee, which Paris withdrew from in 1966, to negotiate an end to the NATO deadlock. Paris participates only in political consultations.

The committee was used before the 1991 war against Iraq to approve aid for Turkey. But NATO has sought to limit its use since the end of the Cold War in a spirit of rapprochement with Paris.

“Alliance solidarity has prevailed,” NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson said in announcing the agreement late Sunday. “We have been able collectively to overcome the impasse.”

With France sidelined, Germany dropped its objections and Belgium followed hours later.

“We would have preferred to have a decision … with all 19 members present,” Robertson said. “France believed that these measures were not yet opportune. But I hope that people will not in any way get a signal that it implies any less commitment” to Turkey’s defense.

I’ll link to it, but I still hate FoxNews. That and the Washington Times always comes across to me sounding like a tabloid. “The alliance pulled an end run around France.” This could have been said without saying that. Hell, look at the context of the rest of the story! Is this simply an effort of slant or stating something about their target audience’s intellegence? I’d be insulted.

Guitar thief tried to serenade prostitutes

An alleged guitar thief has been caught in Germany after trying to serenade a group of prostitutes with the stolen instrument.

The electronic guitar, worth about £650, was reported stolen by a band after a late night performance at a Nuremberg hotel.

Police say one of their patrol teams later noticed a man standing in the street with a guitar.

He was trying to play a tune to some local prostitutes, but failed to make himself heard as he didn’t have an amplifier.

Police have returned the instrument to its owner. The suspect, a 24-year-old student, is facing theft charges.

Lawsuit Challenges Bush on War With Iraq

Six House members, members of the military and parents of servicemen went to federal court Thursday to try to prevent the president from launching an invasion of Iraq without an explicit declaration of war from Congress.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., and the other plaintiffs said the October 2002 congressional resolution backing military action against Iraq did not specifically declare war and unlawfully ceded the decision to President Bush.

Conyers cited the passage from the U.S. Constitution that states, “Congress shall have power … to declare war.”

“Get it? Only Congress,” Conyers said at a news conference in Washington.

…

“I would imagine that they’re aware the lawsuit is a very long shot, an extremely long shot,” said Taylor Reveley, dean of the William and Mary School of Law and author of the book “War Powers of the President and Congress: Who Holds the Arrows and Olive Branch?”

“But they’re probably interested in doing anything they can to throw sand in the wheels of American military action in Iraq.”

Reveley said majorities in both houses of Congress approving a resolution authorizing military action ? as the House and Senate did in October ? would pass constitutional muster and provide wide presidential discretion.

The congressional resolution states: “This joint resolution may be cited as the `Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq.’”

Congress has not formally declared a war since World War II. The War Powers Act, passed in 1973 in response to the Vietnam War and the actions of President Nixon, requires the president to seek congressional approval before or shortly after ordering military action abroad. It also requires the president to report to Congress.

Why is it that ever time Conyers opens his mouth I get pissed off? As was said above, the joint resolution is all the President needs for authorization. This was a sticking point when it was passed but didn’t stop it. The Dems conceeded then, you can’t expect to turn around now, especially with Republicans in control of everything. Congress already approved it. Sorrry.

Belgium Doesn’t Exist!

For too long we have been told lies.

The existence of the supposed European country of Belgium has been taken as gospel for years by members of the Liberati. It has long been held up as a shining example of Liberal philosophies in action. However, now is the time the truth be known. Belgium doesn’t exist.

Belgium is, and has always been, a leftist ruse; a device applied to propagate the Liberal agenda throughout the world. Hijacking a real country for this use would be difficult at best; the people living there wouldn’t stand for it (i.e. the fall of communism.) Thus the idea to invent an imaginary country, insert it into the global consciousness through the perversion of history, and use it as a tool of manipulation was born.

I never knew!

The blogosphere is alive with talk about Google buying Pyra.

You have to start with Evan William’s account, you know, one of the guys (if not the guy) who made Blogger.

Burningbird wonders what now?

Metafilter’s talk

Slashdot’s little blurb.

And is this just another step in Google’s attempt to become Big Brother? You know what? I hate how that damn term is tossed around. “Big Brother” Why is it everything you don’t like MUST be big brother? It’s like calling everything or everyone Nazi’s just because you don’t agree.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Prime Minister Tony Blair:

Yes, there are consequences of war. If we remove Saddam by force, people will die and some will be innocent. And we must live with the consequences of our actions, even the unintended ones.

But there are also consequences of “stop the war”.

If I took that advice, and did not insist on disarmament, yes, there would be no war. But there would still be Saddam. Many of the people marching will say they hate Saddam. But the consequences of taking their advice is that he stays in charge of Iraq, ruling the Iraqi people. A country that in 1978, the year before he seized power, was richer than Malaysia or Portugal. A country where today, 135 out of every 1000 Iraqi children die before the age of five - 70% of these deaths are from diarrhoea and respiratory infections that are easily preventable. Where almost a third of children born in the centre and south of Iraq have chronic malnutrition.

Where 60% of the people depend on Food Aid.

Where half the population of rural areas have no safe water.

Where every year and now, as we speak, tens of thousands of political prisoners languish in appalling conditions in Saddam’s jails and are routinely executed.

Where in the past 15 years over 150,000 Shia Moslems in Southern Iraq and Moslem Kurds in Northern Iraq have been butchered; with up to four million Iraqis in exile round the world, including 350,000 now in Britain.

This isn’t a regime with Weapons of Mass Destruction that is otherwise benign. This is a regime that contravenes every single principle or value anyone of our politics believes in.

There will be no march for the victims of Saddam, no protests about the thousands of children that die needlessly every year under his rule, no righteous anger over the torture chambers which if he is left in power, will be left in being.

I rejoice that we live in a country where peaceful protest is a natural part of our democratic process.

But I ask the marchers to understand this.

I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour. But sometimes it is the price of leadership. And the cost of conviction.

But as you watch your TV pictures of the march, ponder this:

If there are 500,000 on that march, that is still less than the number of people whose deaths Saddam has been responsible for.

If there are one million, that is still less than the number of people who died in the wars he started.

Sometimes I can find myself agreeing with what Glenn Reynolds posts. And I will admit that Tony Blair is the kind speaker that most American’s (especially Bush) can only dream of being.

Here he finds the exact points the administration should have been highlighting from day one. Saddam’s treatment of his people is a greater sin than his persuit of military might. Military alone is not a threat, it is the man behind it that you must consider. The United States has a large military, but, for the most part, we’re not viewed as threats because of it. The Iraqi military is only a threat because Saddam is in charge of it. But that is only part of the threat Saddam poses. His greatest threat is that to his own people. That they must suffer is inexcusible and that they are not the ultimate purpose of this war is unfortunate. That would be a just war.

New design. Not exactly what I want, though. There will be a pic at the top, just need the server I host that stuff on to be good again so I can get it. But this should be more NS friendly.

1.5 Million March in London against our God-Given Right to Wage War

Big deal. So they had a big march. The thing people don’t realize about the Londonese, is that they aren’t Americans. They’re all a bunch of damned foreigners. It’s a whole ‘nother country. Heck, they don’t even speak our language. The little sissies even have a queen. Real men aren’t ruled by queens. We have presidents who eat pork rinds and pick on weakling countries. That’s what manly countries do.

Huzzah!