Volume 2 Issue 3
February 5, 2003
And Now, Back To Our Regularly Scheduled War
Lunching with the Germans, Bashing the Budget, and the Bad Edwards photo returns!
So, after a few days of coverage of the Columbia disaster taking precedence, today we returned to the Iraq issue with Colin Powell's presentation to the UN Security Council. I thought overall it was well done, but we did not really see any smoking gun that would really change many minds, as was seen by the comments of the other Security Council members after the speech...Britain supported us, France didn't, and Germany got a lot of accolades for taking over the Presidency of the Security Council, for which it repaid by hosting everyone for lunch on them in the Cafeteria afterwards. (No, I'm not joking...)
Anyway, here's my critique. While he did show us some good stuff, i.e. phone intercepts, photos, and all, there was nothing really fantastic there. He showed us photos of trucks appearing at facilities...but no actual photos of the missiles. There was a great description of the mobile chemical weapons trucks...but no actual photos of them. I mean, if nothing else, Iraq apparently has built up a huge bureaucracy, so you mean to tell me there are no documents? No truly incriminating conversations that they could record? I will give you that the nerve agent conversation was a good one though, that's kind of hard for Iraq to explain.
Powell did give pretty good proof of the missile development and of the chemical weapons, and it seemed to me that there were a lot of restrictions on what Iraq could have and could not have. I mean at one point there was disagreement over how many kilometers Iraq's unmanned aerial vehicles could travel and the like. This sounds to me a lot like the restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, which didn't work very well. It also means we can't ignore Iraq.
The only real news, I would say, is that the US finally produced some evidence that Iraq is in cahoots with Al-Queda. Now, they did not prove that Iraq had any part in September 11, but the fact that they are harboring some known Al-Queda members was pretty convincing. I mean, Libya and Cuba are helping us with this, and Iraq is helping them? That may be the detail that matters most to the American people.
However, despite it all, the biggest question is still unanswered. After today, I think no one can disagree that Iraq is in breach of the resolutions passed last fall. But does that mean we must invade? Can't we just have a few surgical strikes that take out the weapons sights, and keep doing that as they develop them, while continuing to contain them with sanctions and the threat of force? If we go in there and destroy all the infrastructure, guess who's going to have to rebuild it? That's right, the US of A, using our tax dollars (or what's left of them). So we'll end up paying to destroy the nation, and then to rebuild it. More importantly, why is Iraq, which may be developing these weapons, more dangerous than North Korea, which is indisputably producing them, and maybe even selling them to terrorists!
We'll see how it plays out, but I think that we're still on track for a late February- early March war...
Oh, sorry this is a bit late today, was at lunch with the Germans :) Onto the insanity!
That other nation: Oh, and North Korea is probably getting ready to sell its nuclear bombs, says a Bush official -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/international/asia/05KORE. html
And the North Koreans today announced that they have reactivated their nuclear facilities. Glad to see the Bushies are on top of this one -
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-NKorea-Nuclear-Facility.html
The Bush Budget:
So OMB Director Mitch Daniels has finally admitted the obvious...that the Bush tax cut caused a deficit! -
http://slate.msn.com/id/2078115/
Many GOP leaders are already discussing how to drop parts of Bush's tax cut plan -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26274-2003Feb4.html
Bush is calling for more stringent enforcement of eligibility requirements for aid programs to the poor. But some fear that the new burdens will prevent people from applying -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/politics/05POOR.html
But Bush will crack down on tax cheats, which is good, as the IRS has focused too little on the large cheaters recently -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/national/05TAX.html
And the Hydrogen Car proposal gets more scrutiny. The first models wouldn't be on the road until 2020. Why don't we work on hybrid cars for now? We could have almost all cars sold be hybrids in just 5 years with the level of funding Bush is proposing. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/politics/05FUEL.html
And the economy is in its worst hiring slump in 20 years -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/business/05CND-JOBS.html
Anyway, this graphic says it all -
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030204/1 61/370et.html&e=1&ncid=996
Space Shuttle Columbia: Apparently Columbia had some re-entry issues before -
http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20030205/4838883s.htm
Of course, the nature of the tile system makes all the ships vulnerable. Another interesting issue is that when discussing rescue, it was mentioned that Columbia didn't have enough fuel to reach the International Space Station, where the crew could have waited for a solution. The hidden issue is that Columbia couldn't reach the Space Station in 95% of situations. As the oldest orbiter, it is also the heaviest, and has trouble reaching the higher orbit the space station is in. This is also why Columbia does not have a docking collar for the station, standard equipment on the other shuttles. The vision was for the time being Columbia would do science missions, as well as maintenance on the Hubble and other things that did not require station visits. The other 3 shuttles would conduct missions to the station, bringing replacement crews, as well as the additional portions of the station for assembly. Once again, it will be interesting to see if age was a factor in the accident, but it definitely looks like Columbia maybe should have been retired, and not kept flying with the other shuttles.
Hope you weren't planning to go to space with the Russians soon, looks like the tourist program has been shut down for now. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/international/europe/05RUS S.html
The other interesting issue from the Columbia disaster has been the first cracks in George Bush's credibility. Yesterday, there was a link to a New York Times article mentioning that Bush had hitherto not really cared about the space program, and had never visited the Johnson Space Center, even when he was Governor of Texas. The White House immediately disputed that claim, and continued to dispute it all day, until late in the day they admitted they could not prove that Bush had ever visited the center. Hmm... -
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26760-2003Feb4.html
Houston is not pleased -
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/space/1764472
Doctors on Strike:
The New Jersey doctor's strike continues, with the doctors rallying yesterday at the state capitol, asking for a $250,000 cap on punitive damages. Apparently the legislature has a plan that would allow a maximum liability of $300,000 for doctors, with any higher awards being paid out of a state fund. And how to get money in the state fund? More "user fees" of course! -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jer sey/5107979.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/nyregion/05DOC.html
Oh, on another NJ note, NJ Governor Jim "one-termer" McGreevy announced he will cut all arts funding from next years budget -
http://www.nj.com/statehouse/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1044430572194490.xml
And you thought the Tech Economy was dead: Then you obviously haven't been following the growth of Google, the huge internet search engine. Of course, this also means that anyone can find out details about you a lot quicker, but... -
http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine/2003/0202/coverstory_en tire.htm
Destroying Liberty by Protecting it: A new report in Philadelphia says that the closure of streets around Independence Hall has not improved safety, and has ruined the economy of the area, even reducing the number of visitors to it and the Liberty Bell by 42% -
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/5106539.htm
Slipping numbers: A new LA Times Poll shows Bush's support slipping, with his "would vote to re-elect" number falling below 50%. Lieberman and Kerry are also the nationwide leaders for the Democratic nomination. Hidden detail? Gary Hart polls third for the Dem Nomination, even though he is not officially running. -
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-reelect5feb05001443,0,3798893.story?coll=la%2Dnews%2Da%5Fsection
Look Who's Running for President: Howard Dean may not be polling well among New Hampshire Democrats, but he is catching on among independents, who can be just as important, as they can vote in either primary -
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Politics/ap20030205_320.html
Bad John Edwards Photo of the Day: Um...John, I don't think that they're casting for the Joker in the next Batman movie yet. -
http://media.gatewaync.com/wsj/photos/specialreports/edwards /edwards11.jpg
My Lord! Tony Blair's plan to reform the House of Lords has been shot down by his own party. This is fascinating, because as discussed last week, Britain has no written Constitution, and if the House of Lords becomes an elected body, as some Labor members want, then the way the British government works could be changed entirely -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/international/europe/04cnd -brit.html
Time to get new maps again: More changes in the Balkans, as Yugoslavia has been dissolved and replaced with a new nation. For now. -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/international/europe/05YUG O.html
Theatre Watch: And if you're in London anytime soon, why not check out the biggest play of the season? That's right, the "Madness of King Dubya" -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/02/05/iraq.britain.play.reut /index.html
Book your tickets here, and get more info -
http://www.themadnessofgeorgedubya.org/index.html
Another Round:
Another study that says moderate drinking is good for you, this one dealing with preventing strokes -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/02/04/alcohol.stro ke/index.html
More Sex: On TV, that is...looks like the 8pm "family hour" ain't what it used to be -
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/arts/television/05WATC.htm l
More than just articheture: A new pedestrian bridge over a highway in Palm Springs, CA has an interesting purpose: to allow nudists to cross from one part of a nude resort to the other -
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/02/05/offbeat.naked.bridge.ap /index.html
And Finally: The "Terry Tate: Office Linebacker" commercial has it's own website! This was my favorite from the Super Bowl -
http://terrytate.reebok.com/index.asp
Have a great day everyone!
Gregory S. Gadren
