February 28, 2003
High Speed is here!
Alrighty folks, I just got connected by Comcast to the high speed information superhighway, which means my ramblings and maunderings will be coming to you faster than ever....
Never have I been able to make so many mistakes so quickly....
Why I gave up ice cream.
The short version is it's just too darn expensive.
Now, if I stuck to the short version, what kind of blog post would this be? That's right; DULL.
Coming home from work Wednesday night, I noticed an odd noise coming from the engine, sort of a cross between a hiss and a click. The sound got worse as I got closer to the house, and the Tracker began to lose power. Fortunately, I was only a few hundred yards from my house, and I made it home.
By this time, the noise was definitely louder and nastier. It sounded like the engine was coughing, and the faster I revved the engine, the faster it coughed. I called my brother in law who's a mechanic, and asked what it sounded like to him.
"About $1500," was his reply.
Oh great!
He came on over to the house to check it out in person and found that the problem was actually much less serious. One of my spark plugs had come loose, and was allowing air to leak out past the seal. That caused that cylinder to lose compression, resulting in the cough, and the loss of power. Unlike the old days of the V-8, when losing a cylinder meant you couldn't accelerate as fast, and burned more gas, dropping a cylinder off a four banger pretty much ruins your day.
Well, I was pretty relieved, pulled the spark plug, replaced it, fired up the engine....
The noise was still there.
So I checked the next plug. A tracker doesn't have the familiar distributer with an octopus of wires leading to the spark plugs. Instead, a lead from the computer connects to a coil which sits on top of one of the plugs, and a wire leads to a second plug. So, I pulled the coil off the second plug and found a new problem. The coil came off in three pieces, instead of the standard one.
Not good.
To make matters worse, the spark plug came out with it, without having to be loosened. Apparently, when I changed the plugs, I didn't get this one tight enough, and it gradually backed out until it finally blew out., trashing the coil.
So, now I needed a new coil. $88.04
And new plugs $12.00
And new plug wires $44.74
And a thread chaser to re thread the spark plug socket. $9.00
What does this all have to do with ice cream? The car started messing up when I stopped at Baskin and Robbins for a double waffle cone. Like I said, that ice cream is just too darned expensive.
February 27, 2003
New reference link
Hey folks, if you're curious about science topics or want to check up on some of my explanations on science topics, check out this site, which I am ading to my links. It's a bit more technical than what I do, and assumes a basic level of knowledge, but has a wealth of information on physics, chemistry, etc.
And it's free!
New Hydrogen production methods
SK Bubba links to a couple of experiments dealing with new ways to generate H2. The hope is to find an inexpensive way to generate H2, making fuel cells practical.
The first link is to ORNL's experiment in producing H2 by photosynthesis. They say that they are producing close to the theoretical maximum of 12 moles H2 for every mole of sugar processed. Unfortunately, the article doesn't give us relevant info like time and area required, but we'll go with what we have.
A mole of sugar weighs approximately .4 lbs and a mole of H2 weighs approximately .004 lbs, so we have a 8:1 relationship. So 8 kilos of sugar will be converted to 1 kilo of H2.
The energy value of a kilo of H2 is about 33.3kWh, and a fuel cell will utilize about 60% of that, or 20kWh. 20 kWatts is equivalent to approximately 27 horsepower, so assuming a car runs with 150 horsepower, the energy from 100 kilos of sugar will run the average car for about 10 minutes. 8 kilos of sugar is about 18 pounds for those of us who hate the metric system.
That's a lot of sugar.
In his second reference, the process uses specially designed membranes to catalyze the splitting of water into H2 and O2. reading the patent claim, I discovered that the process takes place at around 1000 degrees centigrade, or 1832 degrees F. That's going to take some significant energy to maintain. While it may make it less inefficient to liberate the hydrogen, it still doesn't get us past the laws of thermodynamics.
No matter how many clever ways we try to get around it, you can't get out more than you put in. But what fuel cells and hydrogen technology might do for us is lower the back end costs, pollution, environmental damage, etc to the point where the additional front end costs are compensated for. Looked at from that perspective, every little bit helps.
February 26, 2003
Just when he thought it couldn't get worse...
Russia is now giving signals that they won't block a second resolution authorizing force.
Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian Parliament's upper house, defended the need to give weapons inspectors more time, a position France and Germany hold, but he said he doubts the Russian ambassador to the United Nations would cast Russia's veto power in the Security Council.
Also, Blix has flipped again to saying that Iraq is not complying fully with the inspections.
Blix said Saddam hadn't made a "fundamental decision to disarm," though Iraq had made greater efforts to release more documents and data about its weapons program to inspectors."I do not think I can say there is evidence of a fundamental decision (to disarm), but there is some evidence of some increased activity," said Blix, who is preparing another Security Council report this week. "There is certainly more activity now."
"Full cooperation or a breakthrough? No. I don't think you can say that," he told reporters. "We have a very long list of disarmament issues and it will require a big effort in order to clarify all of those."
This guy changes direction faster than a weathervane in a tornado. Just yesterday, he was quoted as saying the Iraqis were showing signs of increased co-operation.
Momentum for military intervention is mounting, as the uncommitted voters on the UNSC begin to swing behind the US. Mexico's Vincente fox indicated that his country is leaning away from inspection and supporting the US position, a marked change from just a few days ago.
What does this do to SoDamn Insane? Put it this way; if he were a turnip, he'd be bleeding.
Computers in DNA
No sooner than I finish making fun of Michael Drosnin do I find this article in National Geographic:
Israeli scientists have devised a computer that can perform 330 trillion operations per second, more than 100,000 times the speed of the fastest PC. The secret: It runs on DNA.
Now, how's a guy supposed to make fun of wild speculations when these darn scientists keep going out and turning up proof in support of them?
It's just not fair....
Saudis are on board...
The news keeps getting worse for SoDamn Insane. The Saudis have agreed to allow the US to use the Prince Sultan Air Base as an air command center, as well as a base for certain unidentified US aircraft.
.”
In addition to the use of the air command and control center at Prince Sultan, 70 miles southeast of Riyadh, the Saudi capital, the agreements will allow the United States to fly refueling aircraft, AWACS surveillance planes and JSTARS battlefield radar aircraft from Saudi airfields, the sources said. The United States also will be permitted to use Saudi airfields to base fighter jets that undertake interception missions against Iraqi aircraft and that enforce the “no-fly” zone over southern Iraq.
A source said there also is a tacit agreement that will allow the United States to conduct bombing missions from Saudi Arabia in the days after an initial wave of U.S. air attacks as long as no public announcement was made.
SoDamn is toast, and sooner, rather than later.
Whats a few miles between friends?
One of the anti war movements favorite defenses for Husseins latest violation of the cease fire terms is that the al Samoud 2 rocket only exceeds the limit by a few miles. It isn't really a threat to the US or our allies, so it isn't worth going to war over.
So much for that theory:
THE missile at the centre of the looming showdown between Iraq and the United Nations may be part of an ambitious secret project to develop a much longer-range missile that could hit Tehran or Tel Aviv, UN and independent missile experts believe. The specifications of the al-Samoud 2 missile appear to have been designed so that it could be fitted with a second engine, making it a much more potent threat than previously realised, the experts have told The Times.
The article goes on to say that not only does the missile exceed the maximum range allowed by the UN, it is also wider than allowed, and uses a rocket engine specifically forbidden by the UN. The wider body would allow the missile to carry two engines, dramatically increasing its range and payload.
Now I uderstand why Blix has been uncharacteristically firm on the matter of the al-Samoud 2 rockets. It isn't just the few extra miles; it's the few extra millimeters, and what they mean.
This is blogging
The next time somebody asks you what a blog is, print out this from Possum blog and give it to them.
First, the word "blog" itself is an abbreviated compound word, derived from the combination of "barouche," a four-wheeled cart with a folding top over the rear seat, "loach," a carplike freshwater fish, and "soubrette," a minor female part in a comedy, or any flirtatious girl in general. (Do note that they make "blob," not "blog." The "g" was inadvertently inverted by mistake, and was allowed to remain uncorrected.)
February 25, 2003
The Bible Code II: The Countdown
Michael Droskin has written a comic masterpiece, albeit unintentionally. The Bible Code II is the sequel to The Bible Code, which breathlessly tells us that there is a code hidden in the first five books of the Bible which reveals everything about the future.
For those of you who are unaware of the Bible Code, here's a quick overview. According to Eliyahu Rips, the Israeli mathematician who 'discovered' the code, information about the entire history of the world is encoded in the first five books of the Bible. The code is accessed by using the original Hebrew, removing all spaces, and treating the resulting text like a string. The text is searched for key words, using both standard searches and skip searches (every other letter, every third letter, etc.) When the key word is found, the string is broken into an array, based on the skip pattern. Then, rather like a cross word, the resulting code table is examined for relevant key word associated with the original. Rips obtained some startling results utilizing this process, results which were well beyond the realm of statistical coincidence. I don't have the math to verify his analysis, but the only paper published so far to dispute his claims is seriously flawed, only demonstrating that it is possible to fake the results Rips achieved in his original experiment.
However, whether the code is genuine or not, Drosnin's book is an amusing trip through the mind of a less than rational man. We start with 9/11, and finish with a proposed dig in the desert of Jordon to find artifacts left by the aliens who first seeded the earth with life.
I'm not joking.
Drosnin states over and over that he doesn't believe in God, that he is an atheist. How then does he explain the code hidden in the Bible, the Code that he claims predicts our future?
Aliens, of course.
Yep, aliens from another time or place came and crashed to earth, seeding it with DNA which eventually became man. He uses Francis Crick, the co-imager of DNA to back up this claim. Of course, Crick's claim that life must have been seeded since DNA is too complex to have evolved has taken a beating recently with the discovery of chaos and complexity theory, but Drosnin ignores that bit, and goes so far as to claim that not only is DNA the code of life it is inextricably bound up with the Bible code. He even suggests that part of the key to unlocking the code may be in our DNA.
In fact, Drosnin is so enamored of the idea that aliens came to earth that he claims to have pinpointed the area where they crashed, and hopes to find their ship buried in the desert near the Dead Sea.
With this as background, it is clear that this is a man to take seriously when he predicts the end of the world, coming to you in 2006. from his intensive studies of the Bible Code, he tells us that the final war will start after a terrorist attack in the Middle East.
I'm shocked, truly I am.
According to him, he ran around for a couple of years telling various heads of state this shocking news, and was disappointed when they didn't react with amazement at his ability to divine the future.
To add to the comedy, he claims to have found proof in the Bible that Al Gore actually won the election, and the Supreme Court Stole it from him. I guess the Encoder never checked the recounts from Florida.
Ok, enough with the jokes. This book is a piece of crap from end to end. Wjatever merit the original paper by Rips had is utterly demolished by this slapped together piece of rubbish. Unless you enjoy inadvertant comic relief, avoid it like the plague that will hit Israel in 2005.
You heard it here first.
Horsewhipping is too good for these people...
Imagine your mom or dad has just shipped out to Iraq. Imagine that you know there's a war coming. You're not quite sure what it's about, only that some bad people want to hurt America, and your mom or dad is going out to protect all of us. You know that because your mom whispered it to you as she put you to bed, or your dad told you outside on the front porsh, when he told you that you had to be the man of the house for awhile. Either way, they kissed you gently on the forehead, and left.
Then you go to school and the next most important adult in your life, your teacher, tells you that your mommy and daddy are bad people; that they are going over to do bad things to innocent Iraqi's.
That's exactly what happened to the kids of soldiers in Maine, Texas, and Kansas, at last report. The story first broke on free republic, then was picked up by Winds of Change. Emperor Misha picked it up next, and tracked down the media source. (Large wmv file.)
I really hope that this turns out to be an urban legend legitimized by TV news, (It's happened before) but I'm afraid it's all too plausible.
It's an outrage.
My first political cartoon...
and probably my last.
I'll bring the original to the bash and raffle it off for charity or something.
I told you this was coming!
Remember this?
10 Signs you've blogged too much
- You insert links into an interoffice memo.
- The symbols on your angle bracket keys are worn out.
- You're banned from Google for wasting bandwidth searching for yourself.
- A mention of your blog by Glenn Reynolds causes you to call your family to brag, to which they respond "What's a blog?"
- You require antidepressant therapy when Blogger is down.
- You quit your job because one person leaves money in your tip jar.(That's it! I'm a professional now!)
- You blog a critique of your child's first play. In realtime. On a laptop you brought to the performance.
- You want to name your next child Infapundit.(C'mon, honey. It's perfect!)
- Your future ex-wife forces you to choose between her and the blog. (god, I'm going to miss her!)
- You write humorous lists in a blatant attempt to draw more traffic to your site. (Err...um.....)
Well, check out this site
Always two steps ahead of the curve here at Shots Across the Bow....
Anybody STILL think inspections will work?
Blix found missiles which exceed the range allowed by the UN. He has demended that Iraq begin destruction of the al Samoud 2 missile starting tis Saturday. Hussein has indicated that he will not destroy the missiles.
So much for inspections providing containment.
Here's a hypothetical for you. Suppose we find 2 vials of small pox in a lab somewhere. Is that proof that he isn't disarming, or is it just a "technical oversight?" Do we go in then, or do we say it's still not enough to justify military intervention?
Here's the deal people. The line was drawn by the UN in the terms of the cease fire. The UN said "Here's what is acceptible, and here is what isn't." Iraq has crossed that line repeatedly. The UN now looks like Khadaffi, and his "Line of Death." Unless they are willing to enforce their resolutions, they are irrelevant. George Bush didn't make them irrelevant, neither did Saddam Hussein. They did it to themselves by acting like spineless cowards (Germany) and rank opportunists (France and Russia) in the face of utter defiance from Iraq.
Hybrid cars...that's the ticket!
This week's issue of the Metro Pulse has a story on hybrid cars, the ones that run on both electric and internal combustion motors. They made an attempt at explaining the technology, but they are limited to a few hundred words, where I, you lucky readers, can go on at length.
And I will.
Regular readers know that I am against the concept of hydrogen powered, or fuel cell cars, because they don't save energy at all. In fact, as I demonstrated, they actually use more energy due to transformation losses.
So, you're probably thinking that I won't like hybrid cars either.
Wrong. Hybrid cars reduce many of the inefficiencies of the IC engine, without the ancillary costs of a fuel cell. Let's look a little deeper, and you'll see what I'm talking about.
We have to start with mileage, because that's the measure of efficiency of a car. There are several factors that affect your mileage, some designed, which you can't control, and others operational, which you can. Examples of the first include gear ratios, tire sizes, and body aerodynamics, while examples of the latter include velocity, magnitude of acceleration, magnitude of deceleration, and routine maintenance. Let's look at the engineered factors first.
Body aerodynamics and gear ratios are the two biggest factors affecting your mileage. The aerodynamics determines how hard it is to push your car through the air, and the gear ratio determines how hard the motor has to work to push the car. Aerodynamically, the smoother the air flow is around your car, the less resistance, or drag is produced, and the easier it is for your car to slide through the air. Automakers spend millions on wind tunnel tests, determining which body designs provide the smoothest air flow.
Gear ratios determine how efficiently the power of the engine is converted into thrust. The selection of a gear ratio is always a compromise between torque, speed, and economy. A very economical gear ratio will have a limited top end, and minimal torque. Conversely, high torque or high speed reduces efficiency. Car makers try to achieve the optimum balnce by providing multiple gears, which can provide low end torque and high end speed, while still giving decent fuel economy.
If you've ever driven a stick shift, you know what I mean. I drive a 4 cylinder 1.6 liter Tracker with a 5 speed stick. Depending on how I choose my shift points, my mileage can vary by .75mpg. An automatic transmission has programmed shift points; the auto maker selects those points based on his target buyer. A Corvette with automatic (sacrilege, but I'm just making a point) will shift differently than a Yugo. (Boy, will it shift differently!)
Now, each gear has a performance curve associated with it, also called a power band. Basically, this curve represents how efficiently the power from the engine is converted to thrust. For each gear ratio, there is a point where maximum power is transferred to the wheels. Once you hit this peak, any additional energy input, ie standing on the throttle, produces diminishing returns. Returning to my Tracker, if I increase my average speed on the Interstate from 70 to 75mph, my mileage decreases by about .5 mpg. (Yes, I track these numbers. I am a nerd.)
Now we've seen how different factors affect our fuel economy. So what do hybrids do to help us?
Well there are a couple of things. IC engines are most efficient when you are running in the power band, and running steady state. This is why highway mileage is significantly higher than city. It isn't sitting at lights the burns the gas; it's the starting and stopping. Think about it; as you accelerate, you spend most of that time outside of the power band, at lower than optimal efficiency. If you accelerate quickly, you're even further from the optimum, resulting in even worse efficiency.
But what about braking? You're not giving the engine any gas; how is that inefficient?
One of the factors which makes operating at steady state so efficient is that the car is acting sort of like a battery, storing energy in the form of momentum. This goes back to the first of Newton's Laws of Motion, that an object in motion tends to remain in motion. Most of the energy produced by the engine during acceleration is stored in the car's momentum. Once you've reached cruising speed, the engine only has to produce enough energy to overcome friction and drag. The problem with braking is you take all that lovely stored energy, and waste it as heat. You get no benefit out of it.
Here's where the hybrid comes in. Instead of friction braking, a hybrid uses electromagnetic braking.
I can see your eyes glazing over.
It's not that complicated. Here's how it works. A while back, some smart people found out that if you passed electricity through a wire, you generated a magnetic field. Then they found out that if you wrapped the wire in a certain way, the magnetic field would rotate. Stick a chunk of iron or a magnet in the middle of this rotating field, and you've just converted electrical energy into mechanical energy, and made the worlds first motor. Pretty cool, but it gets better.
Another smart guy wondered what would happen if you went backward, and moved a wire through a magnetic field. He was shocked to find out that it generated electricity. (Sorry, it's late and I couldn't resist...)
Now here is where is gets a little confusing. Run a wire through a magnetic field, and you generate a current through the wire. But now that you have a current running through a wire, you're generating another magnetic field, only this one is opposed to the first. This magnetic field is called a Counter electro motive force, or cemf for short.
And now we're back to the electromagnetic braking. When you hit the brakes on a hybrid, you get some conventional friction braking, but you also cut in a coil surrounding a magnet on the axle. The magnet creates a field which moves around the coil, generating electricity. This electricity is stored in the hybrids battery, for whenever it is needed next. This is just too cool, because a lot of that lovely energy that used to be wasted is saved to be used again later, greatly increasing the efficiency of the car.
Now we're getting towards the end, and if you've stayed with me this far, you're almost home. (there will be a test at the bash, so please pay close attention)
OK, so we're saving energy by electromagnetic breaking. Where does this energy get used?
Well, that depends on the hybrid your talking about. All systems use the energy to supplement the IC engine when it isn't running at optimal efficiency. Some do so during acceleration, others do it at low speeds, others a combination of both. In any case, you have a double benefit; you have an assist when IC is inefficient, and you capture a large portion of energy formerly wasted in breaking.
It truly is a win-win situation.
One last point before I go to sleep. An efficient IC engine is a clean running engine. By augmenting or replacing the IC engine when it can't run at peak efficiency, the hybrid reduces emissions even more than the improvements in economy would suggest.
So, it runs better, cleaner, and cheaper. It's a little more up front, but you'll recover that and more in fuel savings over the life of the car.
My next car will be a hybrid.
Good night.
February 23, 2003
The Grammies
Ok, first a confession:
I haven't watched a full Grammy telecast since they gave Milli Vanilli the Grammy. They kinda lost credibility, don't you think?
Anyway, I flipped back and forth a couple of times, then watched the last half hour or so. Here's what I saw.
- Barry and Robin Gibb receiving their award and giving it to Maurice's son, Adam while Maurice's wife bawled. I got misty.
- Norah Jones sweeping New Artist, Best Record and Album of the Year, proving that you can succeed in music without being a a foul mouthed punk or a slut. Marshall, Christina and Brittany, are you paying attention?
- Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Riatt presenting an award. Aretha has grown in stature over the years, and Bonnie couldn't get in the same zipcode as the microphone. But when Aretha let out a couple bars of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, it just didn't matter. She's still the Queen of Soul.
- Eminem obviously reading the lyrics to his song "Lose Yourself." Last I checked, rap used to be improvised. I know hip hop has moved away from those roots, but still, when you perform on the Grammy's, it would be nice if you could remember the lyrics to your own freakin' song.
- Most of the awards are presented before the show, and read off right before a commercial break. Adding insult to injury, they screwed up the order on the last break, showing the wrong pictures as the announcer read out the awards.
I rpobably missed other high and low lights, but I'm sure you can read about them on other blogs.
February 21, 2003
Bringing down the thunder
The little girl given the wrong heart and lungs now may have irreversible brain damage. One stupid mistake by the hospital administration has cost this girl her life.
But there's more to the story, something that isn't getting a lot of play in the press.
Jesica had a heart deformity that kept her lungs from getting oxygen into her blood. Relatives have said her family paid a smuggler to bring them from their small town near Guadalajara to the United States so she could get medical care. She waited three years for organs to become available.
She was here illegally. Brought here by her mother for surgery unavailable anywhere else.
Three years ago, immigration officials were threatening to deport the family until Mahoney traveled to Washington and spoke with then-U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a Republican. The senator made some calls, and the Mexican family was then left alone, Mahoney said. Now they are in an amnesty program and are applying for residency, he said.
First, we have a girl brought into this country illegally, in order to receive treatment she couldn't get in Mexico, and couldn't pay for her. Next, through a completely outrageous screw up, she gets improperly matched with organs of the wrong bloodtype. The rejection destroys the heart and lungs, and she's placed on life support. Next, miraculously, another set of organs is found and Jesica gets another chance at life, but it's too late. Irreversible brain damage occurred while she was on life support. It's only a matter of time before brain death is diagnosed.
There are so many levels to this story, I hardly know where to begin. Organs are in desperately short supply. Why would an illegal immigrant, no matter how cute and innocent, get a place on that list? I've argued against national healthcare, saying that healthcare is a privilege, not a right. Others have disagreed, saying that health care is a basic human right, so I challenge them by asking if we should drop our standard of healthcare to the world average, using the surplus to help other countries elevate their standards. Universally, I've heard this response, "We can't save everybody; we have to look after our own first."
Unless the others manage to smuggle themselves through our borders, right?
Yeah, I know, I'm an inhuman bastard for pointing this out. But I'm 'looking after my own first.' My heart breaks for this girl and her family, but even more for the family of the kid who didn't get this heart, and died while waiting.
So what happens next? The Santillans' will get a good lawyer, and the hospital and transplant team will be sued for millions, and rightfully so. The lead surgeon should be suspended for violating hospital policy. The Santillan's will get a pile of money from the settlement and permanent visas, but lose their daughter; the hospital and their insurance company will lose a pile of money; two kids somewhere lost out on organs they needed to live another day. Looks like everybody loses.
It's a nightmare.
Turkey allows US forces in
According to Debka, Turkey has agrred to allow US forces to launch from there. There's no word on whether the UIS sweetened the pot or Turkey folded, but according to this article, the troops are already landing.
The report goes on to say some interesting things including this:
As for the urgency of the US-UK second Security Council resolution, its only importance for the US president is as a means of drawing some of the sting from the anti-war backlash preying on such war allies as Tony Blair. Privately, Bush has washed his hands of the world body. When the time comes, he intends to settle scores with the UN as well as with Germany, France and Russia for behavior which he sees as leaving America in the lurch.
This could get very interesting.
A question and a contest
for all you folks who don't believe we shold be going to war.
SKBubba posted his final word on the war with Iraq, which of course generated a ton of replies both pro and con. As one poster noted, it was a remarkably civil discussion, with people airing their points of view respectfully, without slamming those who disagreed.
However, a couple of the comments made me curious.
Scott, in response to a comment that the Iraqis were fielding a missile that exceeded the limits allowed by the UN said,
Wow, 23 miles further constitutes such a threat to US security.
All right, so it's OK to violate the terms of the cease fire, if it's just a little. Define a little. If 23 miles is OK, how about 50 miles? What about 100? Where do you draw the line? The limit was imposed by the UN. So is it OK for Iraq to ignore the terms of the cease fire? If so, can they ignore other terms as well? How about chemical weapons? Can Iraq have them, if they only have a few?
Peggy and
What more do you need?
I ask this not to put you down, but I really do want to know what level of proof would convince you of a link between al Qada and Iraq, and would convince you that a war is needed.
The other favorite refrain of those against the war is that the inspections are working, and we need to continue them. Some go so far as to say that since the inspectors haven't found anything, there must be nothing to find, or if there is something, that they will find it eventually. To point out just how difficult the inspector's Job is, I am announcing my first real publicity stunt.
THE FIRST EVER WEAPONS INSPECTION SIMULATION CONTEST!!!
Grand Prize is $100.
The rules are simple.
- Somewhere in the nine county Knoxville Metro area, I have stashed a money order for $100. As weapons inspectors, your job is to find it. Whoever finds it, keeps it.
- All the clues needed to find the money are in the archives of this blog, or the links.
- You are forbidden to search my house, the houses of my immediate family, my car, or my place of business.
- If you want to search the following locations, you must obtain my express written permission 48 hours in advance:
- Woodcraft
- Barnes and Noble
- Borders
- McKays
- Ye Olde Steakhouse
- Super Walmart in Sevierville
- You may ask for hints, and I will give them to you. I may tell the truth, or I may lie, and you are not allowed to try and determine which is the case.
- I reserve the right to move the money order around if a searcher gets too close. In that event, all previous clues become null and void. Of course, I will not disclose when and if this happens.
- I reserve the right to suspend the contest at any time, and to use the money myself if I feel threatened at any point.
That's it. Those are the rules. Good luck and happy hunting!
Germany knew...
and still they block the UN from acting. From LGF comes this story:
The Jerusalem Post today carries a story that’s been showing up around the blogosphere for the past week, alleging that the German government deliberately covered up evidence of Iraqi smallpox arsenals (reg. req. and good luck. Mine won't work) to avoid hurting Gerhardt Schroeder’s “anti-war” re-election campaign. (Hat tip: Amy.)On Monday, the newspaper printed a report written by senior officials in the Health Ministry last August citing German intelligence reports that batches of small pox virus were stored in Iraq, as well as in North Korea and in non-government laboratories in Russia.
Germany has documented and released proof that Iraq has violated the terms of the cease fire, as well as resolution 1441, and still they can say that war is not needed?
The article goes on:
The German Health Ministry confirmed the authenticity of the report to the newspaper but said that its "drastic language" and "exaggerated casualty figures" were designed to push for the allocation of funds for more vaccines.
Ok, so we now have proof of the third leg of the bio/chem program. We found the rockets and the warheads, and now we know-- not suspect, but know--that Iraq has stokpiles of biological weapons.
The gun isn't smoking only because it hasn't been fired. The question is how long do we let a madman keep his finger on the trigger?
February 20, 2003
My first art link
Welcome to a new direction for Shots Across the Bow. Actually, it's less of a direction and more of an expansion. Or maybe a braodening of horizons.
Whatever.
Anyway, I was checking my logs to see who stopped by and found a weblog new to me, Lone Prairie. The proprietor is Julie Neidlinger, an artist hailing from North Dakota, which she assures us is NOT Purgatory.
My buddy and I drove through South Dakota on our way from Saratoga NY to Bremerton WA, and that's as close as I've ever been to her neck of the woods. We were driving through endless wheat fields, and I called my buddy on the CB.
"There's miles and miles of nothing out here," I said.
Before he could respond, a different voice came over the CB
"There's miles and miles of everything out here. You just have to know where to look!"
I called back to him and asked him where he was.
It turned out we were talking to a guy on a combine somewhere near the horizon, a few miles from the highway. We talked for a few minutes before getting out of range, and I apologized for inadvertantly insulting his home. He was very gracious, and admitted that when you first get there, it does seem very remote and barren, but after a few years, you get to liking the solitude.
Now, years later, with six kids, three dogs, one cat, an hour and a half commute, traffic jams, telemarketers, door to door evangelists, crime, and let's not forget the threat of chem/bio terror, I'm beginning to see what he meant. Having a few square miles between me and my nearest neighbor wouldn't be a bad thing...
Go check out Julie's website, which features a nice blog, as well as some galleries of her work.
By the way, she's also a monster Lord of the Rings fan, which only goes to show her good taste.
Malpractice statistics
Instalawyer linked to an interesting analysis concerning malpractice awards, and whether they should be capped or not. His take is that the awards haven't gone up as much as the AMA claims, and that you have to be careful which statistics you read. I followed up on the link he provided, and then dug a little deeper, and found out that you do indeed have to be careful which statistics you believe.
First, here's Instalawyer:
Here's an interesting fact sheet put together by Public Citizen, saying basically that you should be careful of which statistics you pay attention to. Their conclusion: the Federal Government's National Practitioner Data Bank, which reports 100% of the verdicts and settlements, reflects the median medical malpractice payment by a physician to a patient rose 35 percent from 1997 to 2001, from $100,000 to $135,000.A far cry from the hounds baying about "jackpot juries."
So the median malpractice payment rose an average 8.5% per year. Of course, inflation only rose an average of about 3% per year, so awards grew at almost triple the rate of inflation, which is certainly cause for concern.
The fact sheet has this to say:
While NPDB data show that the median medical malpractice payment rose 35 percent from 1997 to 2001 (an average of 8.5 percent a year), the average premium for single health insurance coverage increased 39 percent over that time period (9.5 percent a year). Payments for health care costs, which directly affect health insurance premiums, make up the lion’s share of most medical malpractice awards.
Isn't it interesting that most of the rise in cost of health insurance can be directly correlated with the increase in malpractice awards?
I was curious about what else I could find, so even though the fact sheet didn't provide a link to their source, the National Practitioner Data Book, I did a quick search, found it online, and looked up the 2001 Annual Report.
In Table 2, I found that the number of payments increased 12% over the same 5 year period, which seems good, until I looked at Table 3, which broke down the changes each year. Payments dropped in 1997 and 1998, but rose dramatically over the next three years, at an average of 4% per year.
It starts getting really good in Table 9 where we find that while the median is $135,00, the average payment is actually $270,854. See, the median is the middle payment, not the average payment. If you put all the awards in order from biggest to smallest, the median is the one in the middle. Half the awards were bigger, and half were smaller, but the median doesn't tell us by how much. For that, we need the mean, or average. In this case, the average payment is double the median, indicating that the awards are strongly skewed towards the high end.
This information presents a good argument for capping awards, rather than the other way around, as claimed by Public Citizen's fact sheet. First, the number of claims is growing; second the amount awarded per claim is growing at three times the rate of inflation; third, there is a strong correlation between the increase in malpractice claims and the increase in health insurance premiums; and fourth, the data shows that the awards are heavily skewed to the high end, indicating an inequitable distribution of award monies. By capping malpractice awards at a reasonable level, this inequity can be addressed.
February 19, 2003
Psy war intensifies
We know, and now he knows we know. The question is, what is he going to do about it?
Three giant cargo ships are being tracked by US and British intelligence on suspicion that they might be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.Each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes, the ships have been sailing around the world's oceans for the past three months while maintaining radio silence in clear violation of international maritime law, say authoritative shipping industry sources.
The vessels left port in late November, just a few days after UN weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix began their search for the alleged Iraqi arsenal on their return to the country.
Sailing in circles for three months, never pulling in to port, heavily laden with cargo that's never off loaded, maintaining radio silence in violation of law.
Nope, nothing to see here folks.
The question is, "Why has this been leaked now?" Is it to let SoDamn Insane know that we know where his toys are, and that he will not get the chance to use them? Is it to ratchet up the pressure on him another notch, eliminating one more option? Is it to show him that we're two steps ahead of him all the time, and his only recourse is capitulation?
Could be!
Saddam's defense plan
reason number 657 why it's time for him to go:
They say Iraq may also deny food to Iraqi civilians in the southern parts of the country to try to create a crisis that would saddle advancing allied forces with the responsibility of caring for millions of desperate Iraqi civilians.
Starve your own people to slow your enemy's advance? The word monster springs to mind.
By the way, if the US is nation of satanic cowboys, why would SoDamn Insane think we would give a rat's tush if his people are starving? An imperialist army would ignore the civilians and press on to the battle.
Apparently, Hussein is counting on the compassion of the US to slow our army down.
Ironic, isn't it?
Inspectors take a stand
Inspectors are going to order Iraq to destroy it's stockpile of al-Samoud 2 missiles, since they violate the terms of the cease fire that ended the first Gulf War.
Whether or not Iraq destroys the missiles will be a key test for the United States of Baghdad's willingness to give up a defense system just as Washington is building up its military for a possible invasion.
U.S. officials have signaled that an Iraqi refusal would violate Security Council orders that it surrender its ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass destruction.
I'm betting they refuse to comply. Any takers?
The banner
I found this banner at The Dissident Frogman, a french pro-war blog. The banner is powerful, and the images are disturbing, but it is important that we put faces to Saddam's cruelty.
I'll leave the banner up for a few days, then take it down. If you want it for your site, the author has made it available at his website, which is on the banner, and in my links to the left.
Housekeeping part 2
I've enabled the TrackBack functions now. I'm still not really clear on what they do, but it seems that track back will notify me when people link to my posts, and notify others when I link to them. If that's the case, then this is a good thing. Apparently, I need to add some code into my templates before it will be active, so stay tuned.
From HowardOwens.com
I read a piece over at Howard Owen's blog and I had to respond. He poses a simple question:
Question for members of the Axis of Weasels: If inspections haven't worked so far, what makes you think continued inspections will do any good?
Matt Welch wrote a response from the weasel point of view:
If nothing else, there are a bunch of U.N. types roaming around the desert, forcing a terribly ineffecient dictatorship to scramble around in defiance, rather than prepare for war. The more of that, and the more time they are given -- IN THEORY -- the greater chance for actual destruction of a-hole's arsenal.
Matt goes on to say that this wasn't necessarily his view.
The piece below is my response:
As I recently wrote, the inspections are working. We've found all the components of a thriving chemical/biological weapons program.1. Delivery system. The Al Samoud 2 rocket which exceeds the range/payload allowed by the UN.
2. Payload systems. Multiple chemical warheads, empty and with no residue of chemical agents. This implies that they aren't left-over warheads that missed destruction, but newly acquired or manufactured ones.
3. Chemical/Biological payloads. No confirmation that Iraq has destroyed large quantities (tons) of previously identified chemical/biological warfare agents. In the absence of such confirmation, the working assumption must be that Iraq still has those stockpiles.
We've verified that Iraq has failed to disarm. The failure has not been the inspection process, but the UNSC, which refuses to act on this information.
As for Matt's contention that the inspections have kept Hussein from using his weapons, why didn't Saddam use them during the long years there were no inspectors? The answer is the same then as it is today: certain knowledge that the use of WMD on US targets would lead to direct reprisals which would cost him his power, if not his life.
Once he uses WMD, he's finished, and he's smart enough to know that. The only way Hussein stays in power is to keep the threat of NBC warfare alive without actually engaging in it. The actions of the UN, spearheaded by the French/German bloc, play into his plan perfectly. He remains in power, while continuing to thumb his nose at the US.
The reason we can't allow this "containment" to work is that there are other groups who can use NBC warfare without losing power because they aren't pinned to a single country. I'm referring of course to terrorists. Hussein would certainly like to use his weapons if they couldn't be traced back to him, and what better way to do that than to sell them to a terrorist group?
No containment policy can prevent Hussein from supplying terrorist groups with chem/bio weapons. That is why we must act against Hussein, and soon.
Sorry for going on so long, Howard.
I reproduced it here because I think this is the key to why we must disarm Iraq now. He has weapons that he can't use himself. The obvious move would be to sell them to somebody who could use them. Yes, we could probably trace them back to him eventually, but unless we have a receipt to bin Laden from Hussein, along with sworn testimony from Noam Chomsky and Michael Moore that the receipt is genuine, France, Germany, China, and the rest will say that the link is tenuous at best, and did not warrant military action.
Hussein could strike with impunity. He could even use the UN inspections as a cover. "I didn't sell any weapons. The inspectors didn't find any, so how could I sell them?"
The only way to prevent this scenario is to destroy the weapons at their source, and that means Iraq must disarm, or be disarmed. So far, they've shown no interest in disarming, prefering instead to circumvent the inspections while continuing their WMD programs.
The only option left on the table is to disarm them.
My favorite french joke.
Heard this morning on the radio:
Going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without an accordion.
UPDATE: According to Snopes.com, this statement has been attributed to Jed Babbin, appearing on Hardball.
Congratulations to Knoxpatch!
Bjorn and Brehd are famous! I just heard their interview this morning with Phil Williams and Frank Murphy on 100.3 The River. It seems Dave Henley stumbled across their site while doing some research, showed it to frank and Phil, and the rest is history. How long can it be until Bjorn and Brehd are featured on Live at 5? Of course, their anonymity requirements may put a crimp in that. I hope Brehd's potted plant camo holds up under the studio lights.
Anyway, congrats to the guys for making the big time!
Y'all won't forget your friends now that your big time, will you?
February 18, 2003
Doing some housecleaning
I'm trying to learn CSS so I can easily update my archive and catagory templates to match my main page. it's slow going, so if you see some weird things here, don't worry, I haven't been hacked, just messing with my coed.
Er, code.
It's working!
Iraq is beginning to crumble under the pressure. From Debka:
Adib Shaaban, the right hand of Saddam Hussein’s powerful son Uday, has defected.DEBKA-Net-Weekly reports exclusively that this key member of Saddam Hussein’s administration, who was charged with his son’s most sensitive missions, traveled to Jeddah at the beginning of this week, saying he needed to put through some gold transactions ahead of the war.
From Jeddah, he flew to Beirut and… disappeared.
US intelligence sources report that Shaaban never really went to Beirut. He made his way under cover to Damascus Monday and was picked up by an unmarked plane for an unknown destination.
As Uday’s closest aide, he also managed a chain of official publications, including the authoritative Babel, and was in on the Saddam regime’s deepest secrets.
Uday commands the secret army known as Saddam’s Fedayeen, the backbone of Baghdad’s defenses and custodian of the weapons of mass destruction that were not smuggled out to Lebanon.
Uday is also the chief of the ruling Baath Party’s covert service.
Shaaban must therefore be a veritable treasury of Saddam Hussein’s secrets. In American hands, Uday’s chef de bureau would be even more valuable than the proverbial smoking gun.
This comes after yesterday's news that Saddam's defense minister has been placed under house arrest to foil an attempted coup.
The story goes on:
News of the arrest comes amid indications of a growing sense of apprehension that the Iraqi army, including members of the elite Republican Guard, might desert in the event of a U.S.-led attack on the nation.
Defections, coup attempts at high levels, army desertions...it looks like time is not Hussein's ally like he thought. I guess it's a race to see who crumbles first, Europe or Iraq.
Another mosquito
North Korea is threatening to abandon the armistice which ended hostilities during the Korean War.
The spokesman said the "grave situation created by the undisguised war acts committed by the U.S. in breach of the armistice agreement compels the Korean People's Army side, its warring party, to immediately take all steps to cope with it."
"If the U.S. side continues violating and misusing the armistice agreement as it pleases, there will be no need for the (North) to remain bound to the armistice agreement uncomfortably," the spokesman said.
It's kind of funny, because here, Bush is taking flak for not doing anything about North Korea's nukes, but they're claiming that America is ready to invade sometimes next week, say Tuesday, after lunch.
Is it just me, or is North Korea doing everything it can to try and play with the big boys? Kim Il Jong is like the kid tagging along with his older brother, trying to play football with him and his friends. Nobody really takes him seriously, but they keep him around to take all the thankless tasks. Of course, this kid brother has a nuke or two, so we can't just smack him around and send him home, but we shouldn't get too worked up about it either. A nuke's primary value to a nation is as a deterrant; if you've got one, people will think twice about attacking. However, if you only have one or two, you can't use it as a first strike against another nuclear power, or you can expect your homeland's capitol to become a permanent nightlight for the rest of the world. North Korea cannot strike first with her nuke, nor can she be the first to use a nuke against the US. If she does, China will abandon her, the US will destroy her government, South Korea will own the peninsula, and the North Korean people will no longer starve to feed their leader's ego.
This time we really mean it...
The EU has said that Iraq has one last chance to disarm and comply withUN resolutions.
Again.
All you youngstersmay have a tough time remembering the days of vinyl record albums and a thing called a skip, where the record repeats the same notes over and over again, never going anywhere. Apparently, the EU is still living in those days.
It reminds me of Libya and the "Line of Death," which kept moving every time somebody crossed it. Khaddafi made a laughingstock out of himself with his grandiose pronouncements followed up by his instant retractions.
"But this time we really mean it," says the EU.
Yep, SoDamn Insane is surely quivering in terror right now. "The EU means it! I must mend the error of my ways immediately, or face a verbal tongue lashing by Chirac. Oh the shame!"
ANd did you hear what Chirac said to the eastern European nations who backed the US?
"It is not really responsible behavior, it is not well brought-up behavior. They missed a good opportunity to keep quiet," he told reporters.
Them's fightin' words there partner. It'd be pretty damn embarrassing for France if Lithuania came over there and kicked your asses. Of course, you are French; you're probably used to military humiliation by now....
February 17, 2003
It's that time again!
Due to the recent explosive growth in the Rocky Top Brigade, I think it's time we get together for a Mid-Winter Blogger's bash. I'm proposing Tues, March 4 as the tentative date for the bash, and changing the venue to Patrick Sullivan's, unless there are objections. Tuesday nights, Einstein Simplified performs a free show at Sullivan's that's worth every penny. We can meet early for dinner and/or adult beverages, then those of us who aren't on a curfew can head upstairs for the show, which usually runs until about 10PM. The guys perform short form improv comedy, similar to Who's Line Is It Anyway?
Looking forward to seeing everybody, especially all you new members.
A chip off the old block
One of my sons has just started his own blog. Isaac is my middle son, the one who left high school early to go to college. He's in a frozen land called Massachusetts, which is an Indian word for "It's freakin' cold out here!"
I have my first blog child, and what must be one of the first second generations blogs ever, unless you count the times Lileks lets gnat hit a few keys.
We're always on the cutting edge here at Shots Across the Bow.
Y'all drop by and wish him well, and Bubba, since he's still a minor, he can't search for a good single malt scotch for under $20, but since we've relaxed the rules a bit, I'd like to nominate him for admission to the "Rocky Top Brigade."
February 16, 2003
A Musical Mistake
I watched The Music Man tonight on ABC. At least I didn’t have to pay anything for it.
Who in their right minds would even think of trying to remake a classic like The Music Man? Robert Preston made the role of Harold Hill his own. Everybody who takes on the role will forever be measured against Preston and come up short, and Broderick is no exception. OK, so Matthew Broderick does have a better voice than Robert Preston did, but I guarantee Robert Preston could bring more life to the role today than Broderick could at his best, and Preston has been dead for several years.
Yes, Broderick was that bad. He simply does not have the flair needed to carry off this role, and since Hill is the central character, the show founders with him.
Sadly, he isn’t the only sour note in this production. Victor Garber, while wonderfully menacing in Alias, is totally miscast as the befuddled Mayor Shinn, and the script hides many of his best lines. david Aaron Baker tries, but can't live up to Buddy hackett as Marcellus Washburn. In fact, most of the cast suffers in comparison with the original film, with the notable exception of the town councilmen, played in the original film by the Buffalo Bills, and Kristen Chenowith, who plays Marion Paroo. They are the only reasons the movie isn't a complete waste.
The other problem is the format. The Music Man is an old fashioned love story, a romantic musical and needs a certain amount of work on the part of the viewer. After all, in real life, people don't burst into song and well choreographed dance routines at the drop of the hat. We have to work to get into the story, and allow the necessary suspension of disbelief. Any slim chance this production had of succeeding is destroyed by the constant commercial interruptions.
In short, it was a complete waste of my time, and somebody else's money.
Inspections are working...
I've had a revelation folks. I was thinking about this on my way home from work the other night and it hit me.
The inspections worked.
Think about it. Through the course of the inspections, we have learned the following facts:
- Iraq has designed and test fired a missile which exceeds the maximum range allowed by about 20 miles. This is a material breach of the UN resolution.
- Iraq has chemical warheads after claiming to have destroyed them all. These warheads have no trace of chemicals, which means that they are not old, but newly manufactured. This is a material breach of the UN resolution.
- Iraq has failed to demonstrate that they have destroyed tons of chemical munitions they admitted earlier to having. This is a breach of the UN resolutions.
They have the munitions, the warheads, and the transport. In short they have all the components for an active chemical warfare program.
So, the inspections have done their job and demonstrated that Iraq has not just failed to comply with the terms of the cease fire, they have worked actively to circumvent those terms, and the inspections which sought to verify compliance. We know that far from disarming, Iraq has continued developing and implementing a weapons program banned by the UN. The failure lies not with the inspections but with the pusillanimous cowards in the UN who prefer appeasement to enforcement. Somehow they've changed the goal of the inspections from disarmament to containment, as if the latter were a possibility. Supposedly, since Saddam hasn't used his weapons of mass destruction, that's as good as if he didn't have them.
Balderdash!
We know Hussein supports terrorists, both in Al Qaida and the Islamic Jihad. He allows them free access to Iraq, supplies them with cash and weapons, and provides medical treatment and sanctuary for their leaders. It is reasonable to assume he would give chemical and biological weapons to them as well. After all, he keeps a cloak of deniability, one which allows his allies in the UN to turn a blind eye.
The more I think about it, the more I become convinced that our so called friends in the UN see that they have more to gain by opposing us than supporting us. Russia and China have never been our friends, and they both stand to gain if the US loses global stature. Germany has little reason to like us, as we are a constant reminder of her failures. France is the worst of the lot. She is not only passively helping Hussein by hindering the US; she is actively helping Iraq in hopes of bringing down the US. France has turned like the whore she is, going with the one who pays her the most.
I usually try to keep a civil tone in this blog. I know I'm opinionated, but I try not to get too personal with folks who disagree, however, I've had enough. Anybody who doesn't understand that Iraq represents an imminent danger to the US and our allies is either brain dead, brain washed, terminally stupid, or a coward. There can be principled opposition to war, and I respect those who are truly pacifists, but I've heard darned few arguments along those lines. Instead I've heard about "American Imperialism", and "cowboy unilateralism", and "blood for oil", and all the other stupid slogans which aren't even remotely related to reality.
Folks, you need to get just one fact through your thick skulls: SoDamn Insane wants you dead. He wants your children dead. He wants America dead. He wants Israel dead.
Get it?
He'll let you yammer and sing and chant your little peace ditties, but when he's ready, he won't give a damn if you were anti war or not. Smallpox and ricin and sarin don't check to see if you demonstrated against the war. They kill indiscriminately, and they are his weapon of choice. Think about that the next time you want to "give peace a chance."
February 14, 2003
Some guys have all the luck
Terry Oglesby of Possumblog wrote a Valentine to his wife that almost makes me think about trying again.
Almost.
Congratulations Terry. You're blessed.
Free speech is dead at Texas A&M
I found this story via Tongue Tied:
Texas A&M University has suspended the prestigious Ross Volunteer Honor Corps
association, a select honored division of the Texas A&M Corps, for allegedly
harassing anti-war protestors at a candlelight vigil on February 3. The vigil
held in the center of campus by 30 professors, community activists, and
members of the Aggie Democrats was organized to protest the war against
Saddam Hussein.This vigil followed a protest that was held on the campus earlier that day by
many of the same activists, which featured signs such as "Bush is a baby
killer" and "Death for Oil." The "vigil" itself resembled the protest, as
signs present included "No Children for Oil."
So, what constituted this harrassment?
An eyewitness, Matt Maddox, Chairman of the Texas A&M Chapter of the Young
Conservatives of Texas, said the approximately 100 Corps members ran their
normal drills through the center of campus without coming in contact with any
of the protestors and did nothing to intimidate them. Maddox said that,
while the cadets did sing "Some say freedom is free, but we know Aggies who
paid the price," they did not point their guns at the protestors or threaten
them in any way. Maddox notes the cadets did nothing different from what they
do every week on their designated days to train at the Ross statue and in the
free speech area.
That doesn't sound so bad. But wait, there's more:
According to the Texas A&M Battalion
(http://www.thebatt.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/02/06/3e420c0fd8a6a), the
official school newspaper, Hugh Stearns, an anti-war protestor who attended
the vigil griped, "Some of the cadets glared (at us)."
Oh the horror!
Folks, I have an idea. There's supposed to be an anti war protest in Knoxville tomorrow at 11am at the intersection of Morrell Rd and Kingston Pike. If they don't cancel it on account of rain (I mean, principles are great and all, but it's really wet out here!) I say we counter protest by going out there and looking at them.
Don't glare, because you might get arrested for intimidation.
Sheesh
Brook responds...
I commented on a statement by Brook Hines over at Johnson City Stories and everything else about how never before has there been such universal resistance to war as we have now. I pointed out the resistance most Americans felt about getting involved in WWII to refute his point. His response:
Dude! There was already a war going on. Plenty of people had died, cities were ruined and balance of power in Europe was in peril. My point was that the mobilization of anti-war sentiment is happening PRIOR to a war breaking out.
Yes there was a war on, and Americans were almost universally uninterested in getting involved. It took a devastating sneak attack and the driving will of an idealistic President to mobilize popular opinion to support America's entry into the war. As for today, this war has been ongoing for 12 years now. The first phase of the Gulf War ended not with armistace, or peace, but a cease fire, based on terms laid out by the UN to Hussein, who has since breached every one of those terms. The resumption of military action is not a new war, but a new phase of the same fight.
Brook continues:
Another thing, Gulf War Part Two, is NOT aimed at putting a stop to widespread conflict or human atrocities (as the Democratic-backed intervention in World War II was). It is about outfitting an unprecedented global empire (as outlined by William Kristol, Richard Pearle, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Jeb Bush in the Project for a New American Century mission statement which pines for "some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor"), and jack-booting any attempts by rival nations, or free people anywhere, to do anything about it.
His link didn't lead to the mission statement, but this one does.
Of course, the United States must be prudent in how it exercises its power. But we cannot safely avoid the responsibilities of global leadership or the costs that are associated with its exercise. America has a vital role in maintaining peace and security in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. If we shirk our responsibilities, we invite challenges to our fundamental interests. The history of the 20th century should have taught us that it is important to shape circumstances before crises emerge, and to meet threats before they become dire. The history of this century should have taught us to embrace the cause of American leadership.
I don't see anything here about "pining" for catastrophe. I see a mission statement written in 1997 which has been born out by world events, culminating in 9/11. They weren't asking for something like this; they were warning about the possibility if we continued using the politics of expedience.
Brook finishes with this statement:
That's why I would suggest that Mr. Shots Across The Bow familiarize himself with Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War which documents how Athens' corrupted democracy was brought to ruin by the hunger for empire in the conquest of Sicily.
Again with the American Empire thing. If America wanted to be an Imperial Power, there would be no United Nations today. America had just finished whipping Germany and Japan; the rest of Europe was exhausted from the war; and America had nukes. It wouldn't have been at all difficult to declare dominion over a large portion of the planet, and to make it stick for a couple hundred years. Germany would be an American protectorate, along with France, and a fair chunk of Africa as well. England would retain her independance, but would be little more than a client nation. Japan would be ours, as would large portions of the Pacific Rim. We'd leave Russia and China alone, because they would be too much trouble without any real gain. And most impotrtantly, the Middle East oil fields would be ours.
Period.
But that's not American style. After the war, we rebuilt the Axis countries, and then went back home. We didn't annex or colonize them because at heart, Americans are isolationists. We don't want an empire. What we do want is to protect our vital interests, and like it or not, oil is one of them. So is protecting our citizens and our allies from attacks with WMD carried out by thugs and madmen. 9/11 showed us we can't ignore the mosquitos like al Qaida and Iraq like we used to anymore. You don't have to have the world's largest military to slaughter on combatants; all you need is 19 men willing to die and you can murder 3000.
Announcing a boycott
OK. That's it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. The French , Germans, and Belgians want to play games; we'll play games right back.
From now on, no more french fries. That's right, french fries are out. And I'm not done, either. No more French dressing on salads for this man. No siree bub. That stuff went straight down the sink just moments ago. And that french tickler that's been riding in my wallet for the last fifteen years?
It's history.
That's right folks, I'm pulling out all the stops.
And it isn't just France I'm boycotting, but Germany too. No more saurkraut, hot dogs, or German Chocolate cake, and the kids are not allowed to play the "punch buggy game" when we're in the car anymore. (I know that last really won't cost the Germans anything, but I'm tired of losing, and this gives me a good excuse.)
And don't think the Belgians are getting off scot free either. Of course, I had to think for awhile about what to boycott from Belgium. After all, they really don't supply much to us, except for Brussel sprouts and Jean Claude Van Damme movies, both of which suck, so boycotting them isn't going to be that difficult.
Just doing my part for truth, justice, and the American Way.
February 13, 2003
Those who do not learn from history
make ignorant statements like this one from one of the newest members of the Rocky Top Brigade, Johnson City Stories and everything else:
Current events have captured the attention the vast majority of the politically inactive -- have mobilized the mainstream, middle ground, middle class, middle american. Never has there been such unity against a war BEFORE it happens.[Emphasis mine]
A quick check of war sentiment prior to December 7th, 1941 instantly dismisses such a claim. The American public had no interest in the war in Europe prior to the Japanese attack. The most common refrain, echoed loudly today by Brook et al is "What has Germany (Iraq) done to us?" There was a lot of pro German sentiment in the US in those days, led by Germanic immigrants, but embraced by many, particularly those with Anti-Semitic leanings. Ironically, the political roles were reversed, with the liberal Democrats urging intervention, and the Conservatives urging isolationism. However, Main Street America said "Stay out of it" in a clear voice. Contrast that with today, where the Main Street supports the war on Iraq and the broader war on terrorism.
By all means, though, continue your protest. It is your right, and one I served 9 years in the Navy to protect. I'd suggest you read a little more history before you go making bold pronouncements though.
Proof that the left is Anti American
Today, radical leftist protesters have perpetrated an outrageous act of perfidy upon the commuters of Knoxville.
They unfurled a banner over a billboard with the words "Frodo failed!" on it, implying that George Bush is Sauron, wearing the One Ring. This bastardization of classic literature was bad enough, bt they compounded their offense by choosing to cover up the Hooters billboard!
The one piece of pleasent scenery on the commute from West Knoxville to down town!
Those animals! They have no respect at all.
February 12, 2003
First the UN, now NATO
Ok, so France germany and Belgium appear to be happy to scuttle NATO, refusing to defend Turkey against Iraqi attacks.
Works for me. That means when the large Muslim immigrant population in France rises up in revolt, we can sit back and let the Belgians handle it.
Then again, Russia is supporting the franco-german initiative, so maybe they'll help out, and accept france as a satellite nation. France, the new Cuba.
It could happen....
In the meantime, NATO goes away, just like the UN, only in this case, NATO is replaced with a new alliance, with allies we can trust to stand by us.
February 11, 2003
WMD and preparedness
USA Today published a story telling us how to be prepared in the event of a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction, (WMD). Most of the advice looks like it was lifted directly from 1950s era Civil Defense pamphlets, and is about as useful:
Q: What else should be in a kit?A: At least three days' worth of water (one gallon per person per day), canned and other non-perishable food, over-the-counter medicine and regular prescription medicines. Flashlights. A non-electric can opener. Diapers and baby food. A wrench, if needed, to shut off utilities. Copies of important documents, such as wills, deeds, bank account numbers, insurance papers and immunization records in a fire- and waterproof container. Duct tape and plastic sheeting.
Q: What are the duct tape and plastic sheeting for?
A: If authorities tell you to stay in your home during a chemical or biological attack, seek shelter in an internal room or basement and turn off all ventilation, including heating and air-conditioning units. Use the plastic and tape to seal off doors and windows. This will help prevent lethal agents from seeping into your home.
Quick tip for all you survivalists out there. Any plastic sheeting and tape tight enough to block small pox or sarin gas will also block oxygen. Remember when your mom told you not to put a plastic bag over your head or you'd suffocate? Same principle here.
Of course, there's no way to seal you house tight enough anyway, but you'll provide hours of amusement for the guys in the bunkers watching via satellite while you roll your house with saran wrap.
Here's another winner:
Q: What should I do in a radiological attack?A: Seek shelter below ground and stay there until told otherwise. If you're caught outside, lie on the ground and cover your head.
Yep, if those nasty terrorists rudely set off a multi-megaton thermonuclear device while you're away from home, just jump into a drainage ditch and cover your head, and you'll be safe.
Yeah, right.
Actually, some of the advice is worth taking, especially that about food, water and a radio. No, if you're at ground zero of a nuclear attack, it won't save you, but if you're just on the fringe of the affected area, and not in the fallout path, having three days worth of water might be the difference between living and dying.
A guy I worked with recently ridiculed the idea of preparing for a terroriast attack.
"Why bother?" he asked. "America is a huge place, and the likelihood that terrorists are going to choose to hit a little Tennessee valley is negligible. Preparationis BS, a scare tactic from the gov't."
I of course disagree with that position. Do you drive your car without a spare tire? Of course not. Even though the chances of getting a flat are slim, it would be very inconvenient if you got one and didn't have a spare handy. Some of us may travel without a spare, thinking just like my co-worker, that chances are, we won't get a flat. Then, inevitably, we get the flat, learn the error of our ways, and always carry a spare.
The problem is, if you get caught without a spare, it's inconvenient. Get caught without an emergency supply of food and water, and it could be fatal.
You also have to remember the WMD isn't just nuclear, but chemical and biological as well. Take my east Tennessee buddy, for example. Tennessee might not rank high on the terrorists hit list, but suppose they crack a vial of smallpox in the DC Metro. Also suppose that Billy Bob and Billy Sue Jenkins from Strawberry Plains, TN were touring DC on that very day, and were exposed. They return from their vacation and share the contagion with their neighbors, their friends, and with much of Knoxville, in a ripple effect repeated hundreds of times all across the nation. Isn't it conceivable that basic services in Tennessee might break down under the load, even though the primary attack was 700 miles away? Heck, we can't even keep the roads clear when a quarter inch of snow falls.
It only makes sense to take some basi precautions like keeping a few days worth of food and water in the house. I'd add a few more items, like a decent medical kit, fire wood or kerosene, food for any pets, and water purification tablets. An investment of $200 or so will enable you to ride out any short term emergency. There's one more thing you might want to consider if you live in an urban area, and that's a respirator.
I live out in the country; a gas attack would be inefficient here, so I'm not woried. But in any medium to large city, a gas attack could be devastating. A $200 respirator could mean the difference between living to fight another day or dying in agony. You can even go cheaper if you want. Most home repair stores carry half mask respirators and cartridges for about $50. Make sure to get a combo particulate/chemical cartridge for your respirator, and then keep it handy. It does no good to have one if the attack comes while you're in your car at the gas station, and your respirator is at home under the dirty clothes in the hamper.
Like I said, the odds you'll need you're preparations are slim, but so are the odds you'll die in an accident at work, and I'll bet you spend more than $250 a year on life insurance. Just think of this as another insurance policy.
from my comments
A while back, I wrote this piece on Trent Lott and his idiotic statements about Strom Thurmond. Tonight, I received this comment from a girl named Crystal:
I'am an 8th student who is in middle school in Brooklny NewYork.I think it was wrong that you wanted Segragation this would really would effect me and my friends if we had Segragation today because i have friends of many rasis and if we had to