Category: Internet

It’s not clear whether there’s going to be another UN Resolution. The Washington Post says Three Countries Vow To Block U.S. on Iraq and the LA Times says compromise language is in the works. Meanwhile, troops continue to build and pilots fly training missions over southern Iraq.

The real war is already underway among the military officers in Iraq, who are figuring out when and how to surrender, if they have any sense. Saddam knows he’s doomed, despite the fact that he probably continues the bluster with the people he talks to; his dance with the inspectors is only delaying the inevitable.

I don’t think there is going to be a war in Iraq after all. Oh, bombs will be dropped, power plants and military installations will be torched, and troops will roll in, but it won’t be a war as much as a cake walk before a surrendering Army. After all the UN drama and the peace marches and the hostile anti-American rhetoric, when the President presses ‘enter’ it will be a huge anti-climax.

Both the pro-liberation and the anti-war sides will claim victory, and the Iraqi people will breath a collective sigh of relief. A war crimes trial for Saddam and his chiefs would be good, just so we can milk some more drama out of this reality show during the May sweeps, however.

It turns out that the “Give Peace a Chance” tee-shirt boy was harassing shoppers at mall, and not just doing a little misguided free expression. See The Smoking Gun for the police report.

While nobody’s mentioned it, the interesting aspect of this story to me is whether tee-shirt can get a fair trial; he’s the head of the commission that disciplines judges, so there’s an inherent conflict of interest on the part of any judge hearing the case. Fair in this case would mean he should be convicted of trespass and made to do time; you don’t harass people with your politics in a private space; that’s what blogs are for.

Now here’s a cool way to promote a blog.

Some character named Britt Blaser says I’m doomed:

Mitch has had a run-in with someone who appears to be a legend in his own mind, but who probably would not thrive in an Obvious Society.

What’s an Obvious Society, you ask? Why, it’s the Fourth Prophecy, right after ubiquitous video cameras talking to video phones powered by Open Source Software controlled by the Mob of Peers, apparently. I wonder who would do well in such a place, other than machines, of course. Oh well.

Meryl Yourish’s International Eat an Animal for PETA Day would be good time to place your order for a side of grass-fed, environmentally responsible, tasty beef. You can order from Marin Sun Farms or Morris’ TO Ranch in the Frisco Bay Area, Northern Longhorn Alliance for nation-wide shipping, or any of a number of other producers across the country. Place your order in March, and you’ll be first in line for tasty beef in June, peak of the slaughter season. Then you can celebrate PETA all year long, as you eat your low-cholesterol, juicy beef.

If you have a favorite supplier of artisan beef, leave a comment.

Yesterday, the Mercury News ran front-page story alleging a big gender split on the war to liberate Iraq. As some stats buried after the jump made clear, there isn’t a gender split: both men and women support the liberation by big margins. The story, of course, was written by the reporter who does all the battered women stories. One alert reader took the paper for task in the letters section today:

No gender `split’ on the war

A Mercury News anti-war headline (Page 1A, March 3) blares out: “Gender split on war — With invasion of Iraq looming, women emerge at forefront of peace movement.” But when you actually read the statistics, it turns out that 63 percent of women favor military action in Iraq (as opposed to 73 percent of men).

There is no headline story here. Your readers are quite familiar with your editorial board’s position on the war. Keep it in the opinion section, not on the front page.

Scott Abramson
San Mateo

The table showing the poll numbers Abramson cites wasn’t in the on-line edition of the paper, and it didn’t show undecideds either. On all polls concerning international events, more women than men are undecided, and that’s the only gender split on this issue.

Craig Schamp reports that the Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City has taken down its French flag. The Mercury News explains why:

Many French in the United States say that Americans have misunderstood their country’s position on Iraq, and Americans do not appreciate that two world wars in your back yard can bring a different perspective.

“The two world wars are still very fresh” for the French, said Sophie Ravel, a Palo Alto real estate agent who has lived in the United States since 1984. “People in America have never seen their family killed in front of their eyes.”

Before Sept. 11th, this was true, but now it’s not; it’s interesting, however, that so many French have seen American soldiers killed in front their eyes.

Back on planet Earth, Emmanuelle’s on strike against the Radio France.

Shark Blog has translated an interview with a Kurd activist from Der Spiegel:

Berwari: We view the Americans and British as liberators. The no-fly zone they’re guarding in Northern Iraq has allowed the Iraqi Kurds to administer our own region since 1991.

Berwari says German pacifism is not helpful, but you probably knew that.

A lot of people are upset about the recently uncovered memo on US surveillance of UN Security Council members, going back into the Watergate slam bag by calling it a “Dirty Tricks” campaign. Dirty Tricks, of course, is a lot more than surveillance – Nixon’s campaign was about making things happen in the world that were embarrassing to McGovern, not just getting info on his plans. The NSA is simply monitoring communications between and among Saddam’s key business partners and allies on the Security Council, as well they should. The Security Council is one of the battlefields of the War on Terra, and we have to know what Saddam’s buddies are planning there just as much as we have to keep up with their plans in Iraq, the Philippines, and Israel.

Failure to monitor for lobbying purposes would actually be negligent.

Robert Fisk doesn’t believe that Khalid Sheikh Muhammed has really been caught, but forces himself to face the possiblity that his head may be up his ass again:

Of course, it may all turn out to be true. We may be provided with the proof the Taliban demand. Or Mr Mohammed may be kept in Pakistani custody until another “mastermind” can be discovered. Or it may be that reports of the “arrest” of the likes of Mr Mohammed are very useful to General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s President, when he’s just angered the Americans by criticising any US military attack on Iraq, or when Pakistan’s new regional government in the North West Frontier province has just instituted Taliban-style laws in Peshawar.

You just can’t make this stuff up.