Swift Vengeance Never Satisfies:

The wolf is dead, the bad old wolf is dead! Saddam met his fate hours ago in Iraq, hanged for crimes committed, often, with U. S. complicity or, at the least, indifference. Most of the atrocities committed in the U. S. sponsored dictator's name will never be investigated and verified for the public now that the Middle-Eastern Thug-of-Thugs has been hung. Dr. Najmaldin Karim, president of the Washington Kurdish Institute, addresses the issue in an op-ed piece in today's New York Times.

Saddam was convicted for ordering the massacre at Dujail in 1982. Perhaps this particular atrocity was the only safe one to investigate publically. Others might well have brought up complicity, not only on the part of the U. S., but also Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and who knows who else. Saddam's people didn't create the poison gas that was used to murder Iranians, Kurds, and Shiites while the rest of the world turned a blind eye.

"The only morality a government ever recognizes is that which leads to self-preservation." – Anon.

"I did not strike that man, he ran his chin into my fist." – Defendent in barroom brawl.

We Are What We Eat:

The New York Times today editorialized on the subject of food or, more precisely, the effect that our eating habits, now that we are more than 6 billion strong here on the blue planet, have. This time the subject is not about how fat we are, but the devestating effects our love of meat has on the planet.

The issue is not new. Over thirty-five years ago, the voices in the wilderness were telling us we were misusing the planet's resources by feeding vast amounts of protein to our cats and dogs while poor people around the world suffered from malnutrition. We've long known that eating rabbit and American bison made much more sense both from a nutritional standpoint and an environmental one than eating chicken, pork, and beef.

Now the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has published a report that's available all over the web, entitled, Livestock's Long Shadow, that addresses the issue in detail. It appears that currently there are about 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo and about 1.7 billion sheep and goats, and those figures don't even touch on how many poultry and pigs there are. According to the report, some 18 percent of global warming is directly attributable to our love affair with eating as much meat as possible. In addition, most of the rain forest deforestation occurs as a result of the effort to raise these animals.

At one point, we believed over population could be defined in terms of not having enough to eat. Perhaps we'll eat ourselves to death before that becomes an issue.

Why We Fight in Iraq:

As Ike said nearly a half century ago, pair big business up with the military and you've got a recipe for a few people making colossal fortunes off the tax payer. The Washington Post reports:

In one instance, Interior officials bought armor to reinforce Army vehicles from a software maker. In another, Interior bought furniture for Defense from a company that apparently had not previously been in the furniture business. One contract worth $100 million, to lease office space for a top-secret intelligence unit in Northern Virginia, was awarded without competition. Defense auditors said that deal cost taxpayers millions more than necessary, and they have referred the matter for possible criminal investigation.

The Post has obtained documents revealing some of the chicanery that's behind the war—the massive profiteering that has enriched Bush supporters and others. Perhaps now that the Democrats are in office, some of this activity will come to light. No doubt the Democrats' jealousy and greed will provoke them to do at least some poking around.

Quote of the Day:

"[T]he United States is quite obviously much weaker today, politically, diplomatically, even militarily, than when George W. Bush was inaugurated. Who has done more damage to America, those who point this out, or those who brought it about?" — Geoffrey Wheatcroft (English journalist and author, whose books include "The Controversy of Zion" (which won a National Jewish Book Award) and the forthcoming "Yo, Blair!"), writing in this week's "Discussion" section of The New York Times "Book" section.


Gender Bias in Income Levels—Another Bush Legacy:

Starting in the 1970s and continuing through the 1990s, the gap between the income earned by males and females in the U. S. was narrowing, more rapidly at some periods and less so at others. But since the election of the current administration, this gap has stagnated, and there appears to be no change in sight. David Leonhardt addresses the issue in today's New York Times under "Gender Pay Gap, Once Narrowing, Is Stuck in Place."


More Troops for Iraq, but Where Do We Find Them:

The Bush administration, having tossed Rummy aside, is now consider a larger troop build up in Iraq. But recruitment is off, especially as the war has lost its popular support, so where do military recruiters find the man power?

Maybe the following story from today's New York Times will provide some suggestions:

A 39-year-old woman who once worked as a chemical specialist in the Army found herself down and out and living in a women’s shelter, Sergeant White said. The Army came calling one more time, and she re-enlisted. Now, the woman is back in uniform at her previous job, serving in South Korea.

“It was amazing,” Sergeant White (an Army recruiter who has spent the past six years safely in the U. S. with his family and receiving extra pay for doing so while convincing others to join the military and go to war) said, “to see how much change we could bring to just this one woman’s life.”

* * *

Senior Army officials underscore the challenges they face, regardless of the goals that might be set. But like Sergeant White, they also express confidence that the Army’s recruiters — armed with incentives, high-tech marketing and inspiring stories from soldiers — can continue a steady, substantial annual increase in troop numbers.

Pressumably, the recruiters will explain how joining the military will provide recruits with the opportunity to lead successful lives once they leave the military, like the homeless lady mentioned above.

And while we're on the subject: "Expanding the nation’s ground forces is expensive; every 10,000 new soldiers add about $1.2 billion in personnel costs to the Pentagon’s annual budget. On top of that, equipment for 10,000 new troops would cost an additional $2 billion, according to Army statistics."

The Death Penalty:

Governor-elect Martin O'Malley of Maryland is against the death penalty, and the issue is likely to come to a head there once he takes office. The Washington Post reports on the situation in today's edition. The country, or at least a slight majority, is still in love with the tough guy image it has of itself as that notion plays out by favoring the death penalty.

In the News:

Flurry of Anxiety as Practice Draft Leaks to Public:

The Selective Service fielded a flurry of calls when a report that a "practice draft" leaked to the public this week. Turns out the "practice draft" isn't scheduled to take place until 2009, after a new administration takes office (provided the Bush coup is unsuccessful). Plenty of folks are worried that they or their sons will be called up to fight in one of Bush's wars. (It's okay if he sends somebody else's kids, just not mine.) In the meantime, the military has been having a devil of a time meeting recruitment needs, and the generals want more troops in Iraq.

Democrats Pledge to End Earmarking—Except They Won't, or Can't:

The Democrats pledged to place a moratorium on earmarking—special, some say "pork," inserts into major spending bills. The earmarking process has been tied to considerable scandal of late. But the legislators use earmarking as a means of disciplining members who might actually vote for what they believe is the right or appropriate thing to do without this process of directing taxpayer moneys to elected officials' constituents.

GM about to Lose Lead to Toyota as World's No. 1 Auto Maker:

Back in the Sixties, General Motors wasn't only the world's number one auto maker, it was the world's fourth wealthies entity, trailing only three nations. The forecast for 2007, however, is that GM will become the world's number two auto maker, following Toyota.

By the way, Toyota's largest market is the U. S.

Where's Everybody Going?

Arizona passed Nevada as America's fastest growing state in the most recent statistics. Those states rank one and two. The big question? Where will they get their water from. First they dammed up the Colorado River, and now they are draining it dry to water lawns and golf courses. You can read about it in this year's April editon of National Geographic. Of course, Geographic paints the prettiest picture they can of the situation. The top ten states in growth comes from today's New York Times.


More on China:

In today's Washington Post Maureen Fan reports on the changes taking place in China. The one child only policy is having stark consequences on care for the elderly. Once, people could rely on their children to care for them in old age. That time has gone.

According to Zhang Kaidi, director of the China Research Center on Aging, "People value money more than family ties. Parents have put all they have, all their money, attention and hope on their child, and they expect to get a return from him when they get old. But the rapid development of the society has changed the traditional give-and-get social contract." Welcome to the western ideal, China.

Too Good to Pass Up:

The New York Times Quote of the Day: "The children must enjoy it, but we were noticing how when they’re deflated, these things look like trash."
ROBERT RICKERT, on inflatable Christmas decorations.

I'm not convinced that you have to wait until the things are "deflated." Somehow they just look dirty even at night when they are lit up. Must be something about the plastic.

Where Do We Go from Here?

It's that time of year when we start looking at where we are and where we're going by doing a bit of calculating. Associated Press writer, Sara Kugler, reports that by the year 2030—about the point when today's college students are hitting their career and family strides and their children are starting to be concerned about which colleges they want to attend—New York City will have an additional one million residents. City planners estimate that the rails and roads will be "crammed beyond capacity," not able to move the masses of commuters. Housing, if nothing is done, will become a problem beyond our current ability to fathom. (Rents in the city already consume approximately one third of the average workers income.) And the air quality …

And now let's take a look at China. A friend, just returned from a business trip, sends us the photo at the top of today's entry to illustrate the current situation. It is Nanjing, taken from the top of "Blue Mountain" and illustrates the heavy smog that he says pervades the cities in China. According to our pal, Dave,

When you're flying over Beijing (for example), you can see scores of smokestacks spewing grey/blue/brown coal smoke. China's prime source for energy is coal; they don't have much oil or gas -- and they're not so concerned about pollution. The hotel I stayed in when I was in Beijing was one of the better known hotels in the city, and there were signs on the water faucets in every room saying "do not drink this water." One of the people I was traveling with showed me an article from the China Daily that stated that 50% of the reservoirs used to supply Beijing are polluted to the point that they don't even meet the standards for irrigation, much less drinking.

By the way, Beijing is just one city in China. There are 147 cities in that country with over one million in population, each. And 80 percent of China's population still live in the country side.

The prognosis for the war in Iraq—you can't win someone else's civil war, stupid—may be in dispute, but the horizon looks aflame for the rest of the world. Who's that I hear fiddling, Pogo?

Technology, People, a Suspect Future:

David Pogue's weekly email message came yesterday, addressing an issue that isn't being discussed nearly enough—etiquette. As the chief voice of techy-dom at The New York Times, Pogue's message addressed online etiquette and the abusive language that so many messages now employ, but he arrives at a point that is pervasive:

* Young people who spend lots of time online are, in essence, replacing in-person social interactions with these online exchanges. With so much less experience conversing in the real world, they haven't picked up on the value of treating people civilly. That is, they haven't yet hit the stage of life when getting things like friends, a spouse and a job depend on what kind of person you are.

* Many parents haven't been teaching social skills (or haven't been around to teach them) for years, but Web 2.0 is suddenly making it apparent for the first time.

It should be noted that children learn less from being told and far more from observation.

Can America Win the War in Iraq?

The Washington Post reported yesterday that most Americans now believe we are losing the war in Iraq. Here is a question for you: Did German forces who fought on both sides of the American Revolutionary War lose or win that war? And if you don't like that one, did France lose or win the American Revolutionary War?

Okay, all analogies are ultimately false. Most people are referring now to Vietnam, and that is indeed the war we have to compare the Iraq War with. We couldn't win that war because winning it depended completely on the Vietnamese. It didn't matter what we did. The idea was that either the South won their right to continue to exist or that they did not. We couldn't win that victory for them.

The administration wants us to focus on Japan, Germany, and Korea. But in those countries, after the combat ended, a people existed who wanted to exist as a nation state, live in peace, and develop their economies. The majority of people in Vietnam wanted that too. They just didn't care whether the government was capitalistic or communistic.

None of these factors exist in Iraq. There people would rather kill one another than make compromises in order to exist as functional families creating a viable society. There is no sense of being a nation in a place that was created by western countries to benefit westerners.

So we entered this war under false pretenses, and we continue to fight in this place under false pretenses. And we set for ourselves a goal equivelent to trying to score a touchdown while playing basketball.


The Problem with Education in America:

Somewhere along the line, usually thought to be in the mid 1970s, we decided that children were clay to be molded by others. This represented a major change in attitudes. Prior to this time, we expected children to learn, and recognized that children had limitations. Now we assume that all children can be molded into some preconceived forms that suit societal needs.

Technology: Vista on the Loose

Microsoft has officially released its latest greatest operating system, otherwise known as Gates and company's latest move to extract billions from the gullible. The new operating system, designed primarily to thwart pirating of its own software and to look as glitzy as Apple's OS, will cost a bundle and comes in many flavors. The best advice across the web seems to be don't buy it until it comes pre-installed on a new computer.

If you're really desperate to make yourself feel better by giving Bill Gates your money, just send it to the Bill and Milinda Gates Foundation. They've been vaccinating people in third-world countries, and guess what, you're Windows 2000 or Windows XP machine will keep on working. If your machine is causing you problems, maybe it needs some maintenance. But don't trust the IT guy who just wants to put a knew machine in front of you. Always consider the guy's motives. It's very easy to say a machine is old and therefore slow.

Just remember, if your machine is running poorly, installing an upgrade OS over the old one won't make it run any better, and will probably only create headaches. And the golden rule on Windows operating systems has always been "Never install Windows until the first service pack has been released." Microsoft likes to use its customers as beta testers—at a steep price.

Dueling Banjos: Baker v. Rice

Are you having as much fun as I am witnessing Jim Baker's public spanking of Bushie Junior? Young George was forced to call on daddy's hired gun once again—it was Baker who spearheaded the Bush victory in Florida in 2000—to try to put a reasonable spin on the debacle now known as Iraq-o-idiocy.

You can read the Iraq Study Group Report in PDF all over the web now. David E. Sanger of the New York Times has a wonderful take on events in yesterday's paper. Looks like the big Texas rancher has got a B movie problem. His hired gun is at odds with one of his top hands on how to keep the sod busters in line so he can continue his free ranging style. For you youngsters out there, let me recommend very late night TV and any old Audie Murphy westerns.

Now We Know the Real Reason Rummy Was Fired:

He had the audacity to admit he was wrong. The New York Times reports today that

[t]wo days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld submitted a classified memo to the White House that acknowledged that the Bush administration’s strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

“In my view it is time for a major adjustment,” wrote Mr. Rumsfeld, who has been a symbol of a dogged stay-the-course policy. “Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough.”

And we were all dumb enough to believe that Rummy's removal signified the end of the "stay the course" philosophy. Ooops! Fooled again.

Today in History:

Back in 1954, the U. S. Senate voted to condemn Senator Joe McCarthy (Republican from Wisconsin) for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute." In those days, the Senate had 96 members, and what strikes me about this is how was it that one addled Senator from the mid-west could drag 95 others into the morass that have become known as the McCarthy Years. Maybe there are lessons here that could be applied to the current state of the federal government.

"Those who refuse to learn the lessons of history will fail the upcoming test." — Anon.


Iran and the Bomb:

While the world sweats out Iran's threats to build a nuclear bomb, the Pentagon breathed a sigh of relief recently. It was thought that the plutonium in many of the U. S.'s bombs might have deteriorated to the point that they would be rendered less than ideally devastating and that they would need to be replaced so that the U. S. could continue to destroy all life on earth ten times over.

Fortunately for Dr. Strangelove and company, the plutonium appears to be just about as deadly as it was a few decades ago. This means that the defense industry can continue to spend taxpayer money on high tech toys of dubious capabilities, rather than retooling failsafe. Thank goodness for extensive half-life.


Gasoline Prices Creeping Up, Wal-Mart Sales Down:

So have you noticed the creep in gas prices? Locally, we've seen an increase of 16 cents per gallon. Care to make a guess at the price by July? We're thinking $3 per gallon is highly likely. In the meantime all sorts of excuses have been made about Wal-Mart's shortfall during Black Friday.


Education:

Today's New York Times has an editorial entitled "Kafka and Katrina," criticizing the administration's mishandling the rescue and rebuilding attempts in New Orleans and the rest of the gulf coast. So why am I bringing this up under the heading of "Education"? Because there isn't one out of a thousand high school graduates who have the slightest idea who Kafka is. For that matter, I'd hazard to say not one out of thousand college graduates know who Kafka is.

American Democracy in Action:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology recently reported what many Americans already suspected: The electronic voting machines most of us used last month "cannot be made secure," according to Washington Post writer, Cameron W. Barr, writing in yesterday's Post.

Even if recommendations to correct the problem are accepted, it is doubtful that any changes can be put into place before 2009. The odds of seeing a truly democratically elected president in 2008 seem small.

What's the solution: "We have a pefectly good system—the paper ballot optical-scan system," says Warren Stewart, policy director of VoteTrustUSA.

Spreading Democracy:

While the Republican party has made hay over the past couple of decades by reviling the court system in the U. S. and attempted the absurd notion of spreading democracy at the point of a bayonet, an attempt to improve democracy is taking shape in Japan.

Today's New York Times contains an op-ed article by Robert E. Precht, entitled "Japan, the Jury," which explains how that country intends to move from a court system that does not use juries to one that does. This process will include sending jurors to the U. S. to work with jurors here.

As someone who has served on three juries in federal court in the U. S., I can attest to importance of the jury trial as an essential part of democracy. Without jury trials, for all their faults, democracy is little more than demagoguery.