Who Guessed Weapons Would Come Up Missing?

Weapons missing? Yep-that's right! According to a report by the Washington Post today, the Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to a new government report. Honestly, I really can't even begin to be surprised. Oh, yes, the report goes on, to say that there are fears now that these weapons might possibly be in the dangerous, destructive hands of the very same insurgents that the US troops are fighting!

How dare those Iraqi insurgents! Every good American knows that you aren't supposed to actually USE the weapons a country gives you, especially not towards them. And, ESPECIALLY not when you are at war with them! And, every good Iraqi knows that YOU DON'T GIVE WEAPONS TO COUNTRIES YOU ARE AT WAR WITH! Especially when you are in their country, meddling in their business!

Although, all this is just speculation. No one can really say for sure where almost 190,000 AK-47 rifles and pistols went off to, they are just missing, according to the Government Accountability Office (we have one of those?). What else does the GAO have to say? Well, they need to put the blame on someone. According to the GAO, weapons distribution was haphazard and rushed and failed to follow established procedures, particularly from 2004 to 2005, when security training was led by Gen. David H. Petraeus, who now commands all U.S. forces in Iraq.

If I were over in Iraq, I think I would have some kind of problem letting Gen. Petraeus run things. If he was in charge of security training, why are almost 190,000 weapons MIA? Oh, and that is up from only 14,000 last year.

Controls have been tightened since 2005, because of previous errors and unaccountability, but it seems serial numbers are too much for the Pentagon to handle. Without tracking which serial numbers were given to whom, it is nearly impossible for the US military to know whether it is battling an enemy equipped by American taxpayers.

I can only guess what kinds of unaccountability's, inconsistencies, errors, miscalculations and other misc. happenings are going on with the security back in the homeland. On second thought, I'll just leave it to Bush.

Examining "Pro-Life" Propaganda

Planned Parenthood is opening a new full service health center in Aurora, Illinois. Joseph Scheidler, the head of a group called the Pro-Life Action League, sent out this truly disturbing fundraising letter, which outlines their crusade against the Aurora clinic.

In the letter, Scheidler refers to Planned Parenthood as an "abortion mill" and a "killing chamber." He makes no mention of the numerous other health services that Planned Parenthood provides to women and girls. He describes plans to try to convince contractors not to work on the building. He brags about his son taking photos of the contractors' vehicles. He writes about hiring lawyers to try to find a zoning ordinance or other flimsy excuse to keep the clinic from opening. He also writes about his other expenses:

"Bills from my printer alone are staggering. We have to print literally tons of leaflets, brochures and pamhlets to get the word out about abortion. Of course, it's all worth it, because we're saving babies with those pieces of paper."

But is "saving babies" really the PLAL's goal? Or is their goal to terrorize women, threaten healthcare providers, and enforce their personal views on morality?

The next section of Scheidler's letter mentions "sidewalk counseling" - in other words, protesting. Screaming at and threatening clinic personnel and customers. Waving gruesome banners and trying to frighten women with threats of eternal damnation and sometimes, physical violence. He even has a name for volunteers who try to protect these women from their "counseling": deathscorts.

This is what the "pro-life" movement is. Threats. Intimidation. Manipulation. Moral superiority. They offer no practical solutions for preventing abortions, only ways to make it harder for women in a desperate situation to receive the medical care that they need.

Planned Parenthood is doing more to prevent abortions than any so-called "pro-life" group. Planned Parenthood educates the public about sexuality and pregnancy and STI prevention. Planned Parenthood distributes birth control. Planned Parenthood prevents unwanted pregnancies. Fewer unwanted pregnancies means fewer abortions. Yes, they provide abortions, but they are first and foremost an organization dedicated to the prevention of unwanted pregnancies.

People genuinely interested in preventing abortion should be interested in preventing the causes of abortion. But most prominent "pro-life" organizations are actually opposed to comprehensive sex education and birth control. I've been reading How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics, and the War on Sex by Christina Page, which has shocking details about this phenomenon. I think it's one of the most important books you could ever read, no matter how you personally feel about abortion.

To help Planned Parenthood continue to fight for reproductive choice and women's autonomy, you can donate locally or nationally. Scheidler can probably get a lot of donations by claiming that he's trying to "save babies." Planned Parenthood has the truth on their side, but unfortunately, the truth isn't always what makes people get out their checkbooks.

When is Murder Not Murder?

Murder. Think about that word, and what it means to you. To me, it means to kill someone. Now, obviously, there are a lot of different killings going on. A big one, the war in Iraq, the recent crumbling of the bridge, people killing people out of rage, revenge, all sorts of different circumstances. The question is, is one better than the other?

I'm looking at the Huffington Post's article about Sgt. Lawrence G. Hutchins III, who received 15 years in prison, was dishonorably discharged, reduced in rank to private, and also given a written reprimand this last Thursday in Camp Pendleton, Cal. The jury sentenced Hutchins Friday for the murder of an Iraqi civilian during a search for an insurgent.

Hutchins says he was only carrying out what he thought his superiors wanted. And I ask, how would one not be confused? Reflecting on the story about suspected terrorist activities in a junk-submarine (sorry to the men who made it), and the recent stories about suspected 'dry-terrorist runs' in the airport, where 65 year old woman are being asked if they know Osama bin Laden, I mean, are supposed to think the terrorists are everywhere?

My next question is, Hutchins and the rest of the brave soldiers in Iraq, are they not sent there to kill? What makes one right and the other wrong? Is the only difference that President Bush didn't say to kill 'that guy'? If I were Christian, I would think that the 6th commandment "Thou shall not KILL", would mean that thou shall not kill. Apparently, however, the bible, along with our constitution, is up for interpretation by the Bush administration.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations said, "If there is a perception that our soldiers can commit these crimes and only get a slap on the wrist, that's not going to send a very good message." But going into Iraq, meddling in their business, getting our soldiers killed, and killing other people, this is a better message? Interesting.

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies, The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for own goodwill torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. - C.S. Lewis

River Rat Terrorists?

Yesterday, police officers saw a suspicious submarine in the East River in NY, dangerously close to the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship. Suspecting terrorism, the brave NY officers arrested the 3 men-only to find out there was no threat of terrorism, not even a threat at all! (Sound familiar?). It turned out the three men had created this sub in an attempt to replicate an earlier version of a submarine. According to WNBC, the police are saying this was 'marine mischief'. No charges yet, but it is possible, if 'marine mischief' can be considered a charge, especially if there was no 'actual evidence of mischief of any kind!'

My question is, what kind of society are we living in now? I mean, a floating submarine can't possibly be a priority for the brave, tough officers of Long Island, can it? And, I mean, to them, a terrorist (or so we think) attack is hi-jacked planes crashing into the tallest towers in the world, blowing them up and leaving horrible scenes, death, destruction and asbestos.

They know that the terrorists were obviously smart enough to high-jack 2 planes, so do they think they would plan an attack in a not-so-good-looking home made submarine and kind of just float around a cruise ship? Or, is this just the adminsitration's attack on good old American innovation, creativity and integrity? I don't know. You tell me!

FBI Spyware: Is It In You?

A ruling this month by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is allowing the FBI to search your computer-without any type of warrant. And it goes beyond free music downloads or porn. It goes through everything.
In an affidavit seeking a search warrant to use the software FBI agent Norman Sanders describes the software as a "computer and internet protocol address verifier," or CIPAV.

Oh yes. The FBI is now able to (and has been for some time) enter your virtual property, and physical property at the same time, with or without warrants! And what does this CIPAV do? It hides in your computer, like a trojan virus and records everything. Sanders wrote that the spyware program gathers a wide range of information, including the computer's IP address; MAC address; open ports; a list of running programs; the operating system type, version and serial number; preferred internet browser and version; the computer's registered owner and registered company name; the current logged-in user name and the last-visited URL.

WOW.

And what are they looking for? The source of e-mailed bomb threats against a Washington high school which took place last month. Kevin Poulsen, of Wired reports that "the code [virus] led the FBI to 15-year-old Josh Glazebrook, a student at the school, who on Monday pleaded guilty to making bomb threats, identity theft and felony harassment".

This technology has been in use by the FBI since 1999, and has only improved since then. when will they start putting cameras in the monitors to watch what you are doing? Or turn on your webcams or microphones and listen to you and watch you without your knowing? Where should we draw the line? I say, draw it at the front door.

Ask.com Actually Values Complete Privacy of Users

I'd like to give a very big THANK YOU to Ask.com for taking action to bring a major easy-to-use privacy feature on their search engine by the end of this year. Some of you may have heard, the feature will be called 'AskEraser' and it will enable users to turn storage of their search history on and off.

As Ask.com CEO Jim Lanzone says: "Anonymous user data can be very useful to enhance search products for all users, and we're committed to being open and transparent about how such information is used. But we also understand that there are some who are interested in new tools that will help protect their privacy further, and we will give them that control on Ask.com."

Currently all of your search history data is stored for 18 months, similar to Google's privacy policy, but not when you have AskEraser turned on. Choice is important, and even more important is making those choices user-friendly. Hopefully Google, Yahoo, and MSN will follow suit otherwise, I'll be using Ask.com a little more often along with many others who value their privacy. Press release

The Constancy of Shamelessness

I frequent political message boards. They used to be places where intelligent people could discuss political issues. Politics itself used to value discussion. We all like to believe we live in a world, and a country, where tolerance and acceptance have become common and wanted. But more and more we're forced to see bigotry creeping in like a reigniting torch on a lawn that for a time was only smoldering. I can't scroll down the craigslist.org political forum without seeing several anti-Islam, anti-Judaism, anti-lib, anti-con, and anti-everyone posts. But, the strangest thing I've recently noticed is the barrage of anti-feminism comments.

I see posts that actually say women shouldn't work, that they need men to take care of them, and that they are trying to destroy America. Obviously posts like that come from people will their own problems and issues. But ideas like that come from a place that can only be taught. And I'm forced to wonder, what does our ability to educate complete strangers through dialog and rational conversation say about the fact that foolish, sexist ideas perpetuated only by the ignorant still exist?

Some more paranoid Liberals I've heard say it's part of a plot by the right to galvanize their white male base; especially in the coming fight against Hillary Clinton. Given the things I've seen politically inclined people do in my lifetime I wouldn't put it past anyone to manipulate hatred for their own goals. But I see the facts as being far more simplistic.

Opportunism is the most prevalent thing the world. (Think about that statement, it makes sense.) And that leads to the worst things we all do. The Internet opens men who already have biases against women to moronic websites like savethemales.ca. And the exceptionally well-scripted --for the purpose of playing on fear and anger-- text inspires the fools to action. It's sad.

I can't say either side of the isle is above playing on people's emotions. I can't even say I've never done it. I can't provide reasons for hate or bias. And I can't say I'm not exceptionally offended by these sexist posters because of my own personal attitudes even beyond what offense any logical being would feel. But I can end a post like this with an urge to all intelligent, reasonable people to call these deluded souls on how insipid they are. I suppose support like that is the best I can hope for.

Democrats, Liberal Bloggers Supporting Each Other

Coming up is the YearlyKos Convention from August 2-5 at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. It's a gathering of the "Netroots community, the US-based (but globally focused and inclusive) non-partisan grassroots political action community that uses the Internet and blogs as primary tools for: expressing viewpoints, building consensus, acting to change the status quo, mobilizing huge numbers of people and informing each other and the world about current events, grassroots actions, networks, meetings, policy and more."

YearlyKos is one of numerous events and situations where Dems and Liberal bloggers have come together sharing viewpoints and gaining strength. Bill Sher's article at Huffington Post is on point when he says,"liberal bloggers have shown they can help by countering misinformation, spotlighting underreported news, and pushing parameters of national debate narrowed by pundits and political consultants." Precisely.

L.A. Hospital Gives Away Your Info to Protect President

If this isn't one great example of a total breakdown of privacy rights in the United States then... I know I can find a dozen more! This "Notice of Privacy Practices" from Cedars-Sinai hospital in L.A. shows how you agree to give up your personal information for the listed reasons. One says "For protective services for the President and others." and another extremely disturbing reason, "To list you in our directory so we can respond to people asking for you by name." How is this OK at all?

Thanks to the good peeps over at Boing Boing for gettin' this out into the public view!

Will it Take a Tet Offensive?

The Vietnam War was undoubtedly conflicted. Most people now understand that. We've all been shown the videos of protests in school. And we've all read about the social changes in history classes. Yet, despite the similar unpopularity of our current conflict, the youth of our country seem lounging.

The Tet Offensive was a major campaign by the Communist Vietnamese to retake land, and, "Although the offensive was not militarily successful for the Vietnamese Communists, it was a political and psychological victory for them. It dramatically contradicted optimistic claims by the U.S. government that the war had already been won." Will it take such an act of shock and awe to spark our current populous out of apathy?

Don't think there's nothing being done. There certainly is an effort. The digital roots movement is strong. There are thousands of websites that tout slogans against the war and its creators. But the Internet is nothing more than a canvas for us to shout at. And, unless those with the real ability to change the world and war's affect on it are reading sites like this, then a digital movement is faceless.

It's true that the Vietnam war did not end because of protests. Anyone looking at a time line can see that. But those protesters did have a face. They used their bodies to become symbols of what they believed in. And a body is always a better symbol than anything someone I or anyone else could type.

I know this is my first post. I know most readers don't know me. So I'll clarify a quick point about myself. I will never be the one to answer questions like the one I've posed in this entry's title. But I will do all I can to spur the idea that we can ponder such questions. And that we, the face-full, have the ability to make sure this and future wars don't require more casualties to stab us into using our bodies as weapons of example and our minds as fevers burning out the foolishness that creates war.

Source: http://www.reference.com/search?q=tet%20offensive

"No End in Sight" Shows How Wrong Iraq Has Gone

No End in Sight Director/Screenwriter Charles Ferguson takes us on a journey to further expose the devastation caused by U.S. foreign policy in Iraq. The film is based on over 200 hours of footage, and a retelling of events by high ranking U.S. officials, Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent analysts. No End in Sight took home the 'Documentary Special Jury Prize' from Sundance this year and opens in select theaters throughout the U.S. today. Watch trailer below...

Official Site

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