Archive for May, 2005
No, I don’t think the pics of Saddam in his underwear should probably have been published. I imagine there’s a potential upside to getting those images out, especially among the Iraqi people, but they simply should not have been let out. The potential downside outweighs the potential upside (especially at this point in time, considering Saddam hasn’t been tried or sentenced yet) though, and our troops and efforts will probably suffer for it.
It’s nothing like the Newsweek story, though.
Schroeder’s Social Democrats Suffer Major Loss in Key Election
I don’t really know anything about German politics, but Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s Social Democrats (SPD) just took its worst beating in fifty years in it’s traditional stronghold. (I’m totally taking the word of the site I’m linking to on this.)
The clear winner was the Christian Democratic Party (CDU). The CDU, which performed above expectations under the leadership of North-Rhine/Westphalia party chief Juergen Ruettgers, will likely form a coalition government with the Free Democrats (FDP), a party that favors lower taxes and smaller government and held on to finish a distant third despite taking some losses.
The CDU sounds like a bunch of Bible-banging Jesus freaks to me, and that FDP just means trouble if they’re at all serious about lower taxes and smaller government.
How on earth did this happen in Germany? Is Karl Rove really that powerful? (That’s a joke, people…Yes, I know that he’s that powerful.)
For more information, including Schroeder’s call for early national elections, see Medienkritik. (this is also via Instapundit)
Not to beat a dead horse, but this caught my eye just now. It’s the Feb 2, 2005 Japanese edition of Newsweek magazine:
For more, including other editions’ covers from that week (including the American one, which, um, is nothing like this) see the post at Riding Sun. (via Instapundit)
Bush avoids politics, urges grads to serve
President Bush gave the commencement address at Calvin College here in Grand Rapids yesterday. Predictably, not everyone was impressed:
Nathan Karnes, a graduate who wore a bumper sticker, “Who Would Jesus Bomb” on his mortarboard, said he felt Bush politicized the ceremony simply by coming.“And I was really disappointed in his speech,” he said. “He took this opportunity to politicize, saying it’s only the faithful who should take care of poverty. He’s trying it now and it doesn’t work. We have an outrageous poverty problem.”
I reread the text of the speech, thinking I must have missed something. But I didn’t find anything that sounded like what this graduate was talking about.
There were several references to “our faith-based and community organizations”, and Bush said that they have a better history of serving than government organizations. I agree with that sentiment, though your mileage will vary. Still, it’s a reach to call that “politicizing” and saying that it’s “it’s only the faithful who should take care of poverty”.
It seems to me that the political statements weren’t made by the President, but by those who are criticizing the President for bringing politics into the graduation ceremony.
I didn’t hear the speech. I only read the transcript. But I disagree with this graduate’s interpretation, and I waited until after I had read it to decide.
Came across this pic in yesterday’s Frontline Photos:
First of all, it’s a cool picture.
Second of all, it’s a model with a 25mmm chain gun turret. Gotta love that. And I still think that Strykers would benefit from a similar turret. At least some variants. Don’t tell me that weight (or size) is keeping it off due to air transport restrictions. The Stryker is way over requirements anyway. If Strykers really, truly would need to be deployed via C-130, leave the 25mm variants behind. In all other cases (probably 95% or more of the Strykers actual use) it would be a welcome addition to the brigades.
And finally, the Marine LAVs don’t utilize the slat armor that Strykers do. I imagine that it could be bolted on somehow if they really wanted/needed it, so my question is this: Have the Marines not had trouble with RPGs? I know that there are a lot more Strykers than there are Marine LAVs in Iraq, but the Marines have been in some pretty hairy places all along. I’ve not heard of any LAVs being taken out by RPGs.
Russian villagers baffled by missing lake
A lake in the Nizhegorodskaya region, on the Volga river east of Moscow, just plain up and disappeared overnight. And get this reaction:
“I am thinking, well, America has finally got to us,” said one old woman, as she sat on the ground outside her house.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I wish we were capaple of even one tenth the things people think we are.
First lady: Bush should have known of breach
I think that Bush should have been made aware of the emergency evacuation of the Capitol and the White House when that plane flew too close a couple of weeks ago. He was on a biking trip at the time and wasn’t informed until after the incident had been cleared up.
Of course, if he hadn’t immediately jumped on a plane and rushed BACK to Washington, DC, we’d probably be hearing about how he’s irresponsible or clueless or something.
But he should have been made aware. Give me a break. He’s the Commander in Chief.
Outrage over desecrated Koran bought on Amazon
A reader sends me this tip. Seems that an American college student bought a used copy of the Koran through Amazon only to discover “Death to all Muslims” and “F*ck this sh*t” written inside the front cover.
“I was taken back to after Sept. 11 and my fear of even leaving my apartment,” [Azza] Basarudin told a news conference.
Well, that might be a bit of an overreaction. But there’s no doubt that it’s insulting and offensive. I don’t know the laws pertaining to this or Amazon’s policies, but I’m not sure how responsible Amazon itself is for this sort of thing.
In any event, Amazon apologized to the student, refunded her money, sent her a new copy of the Koran, and issued her a gift certificate. Is that enough? I think it probably is, considering that they weren’t the source of the defaced book. Pennsylvania-based Bellwether Books actually had and sold the book through Amazon’s used book network. They’ve been suspended from selling the Koran through Amazon, though if I were Amazon I’d ditch them entirely.
But the MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council) said it wanted Amazon to issue a public apology and condemnation and establish a zero-tolerance policy toward sellers and employees.“It is important for business leaders to come out with a zero tolerance policy. Amazon has a responsibility to make a public apology and condemnation,” said spokeswoman Edina Lekovic.
Lekovic said the desecrated Koran was part of a “cult of hate that may exist and may be on the rise.”
First of all, while it would be nice of Amazon to apologize publicly, it’s Bellwether Books that the MPAC should be hounding. But maybe Bellwether’s pockets aren’t deep enough.
The quote about 9/11, according to the MPAC, is:
“I was paralyzed after 9/11 — I couldn’t leave my house for a couple of weeks — and I realized that fear was coming back. I couldn’t even go near this book for a couple of days. I feel like I’m being violated all over again because I’m a Muslim.”
That makes more sense to me when put that way, I guess.
The MPAC is also urging people to contact Amazon and request a public apology, complete termination of relations with Bellwether Books, and support and funding for educational programs that foster religious tolerance.
We’re going to be seeing a lot more of this over the next few months due to heightened awareness and increased newsworthiness, among other things.
Two car bombs detonated prematurely
Two cars wired for sound in Mosul blew early.
Iraqi Police investigated the scene seizing four RPG rounds, one RPG launcher, five grenades, one grenade launcher, and small arms ammunition recovered from the second car bomb. No Iraqi civilians or ISF injuries were reported.
That’s a relief, but, alas:
Two terrorists were killed
Sigh. Oh, well. I guess it could have been worse.
Only one terrorist could have been killed, for instance.
