:: NEWS COCKTAIL aka BlahBlahBlog ::

:: 3.31.2003 ::

:: RE Arnett ::

From BBC News:
US network sacks top journalist

Peter Arnett has been fired, apparently over remarks he made in an interview on Iraqi television -- 'the US-led coalition's initial war plan had failed.'

posted by me

:: 10:40:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day twelve.

1515: Three US journalists, including the photographer of former vice- president Al Gore, are missing in Iraq, their families say.

ALSO:
The day in quotes.

"When it is over, if it is over, this war will have horrible consequences. Instead of having one (Osama) Bin Laden, we will have 100 Bin Ladens."- Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak

War protesters, troops supporters take to the streets across the U.S.

posted by me

:: 10:38:00 AM [+] ::
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:: In other news... ::

Van Gogh's 150th birthday marked

Thousands of fans flocked to Amsterdam's Vincent Van Gogh Museum on Sunday to celebrate the 150th birthday of the troubled Dutch painter.

ALSO:
Van Gogh fans to celebrate artist's 150th birthday

"Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well."
-Vincent Van Gogh

posted by me

:: 11:04:00 AM [+] ::
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:: So weird ::

From Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:

A Nation at War
Top Pentagon and CIA officials met with the author of "The Bible Code," who said Osama bin Laden's whereabouts can be detected by connecting letters from ancient Hebrew (February). And eight hours before the U.S.'s "Orange" alert on Feb. 7, four heavily armed Cuban military men wandered through downtown Key West, Fla., unknown to anyone in Washington. (Turned out they had arrived by boat to defect and were looking for someone to surrender to.) And Jake Greenwald announced he would offer "terror tours" in Israel for $5,000 each to visitors wanting helicopter and simulated-games tours of West Bank bomb and battle sites (but has suspended the venture because of the war in Iraq) (March). [Wall Street Journal, 2-28-03] [New York Times, 3-3-03] [BBC News, 3-5-03]

AND...

A 36-year-old man from Arcadia, Fla., checked himself into a counseling clinic in March after being identified as the one who had been pretending in public to be choking on food and persuading women to grasp him in the Heimlich maneuver, after which he would hug them lavishly and attempt clumsily to develop a relationship. A sheriff's spokesman in Charlotte County, site of the most recent reports, said the man probably had done nothing illegal. (Novelist Chuck Palahniuk, author of "Fight Club," recently published "Choke," whose storyline roughly matches the man's actions, but apparently some Florida incidents predated the book's publication.) [Port Charlotte Sun-Herald, 3-3-03; Tampa Tribune-Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 3-12-03]

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNews@earthlink.net.

posted by me

:: 10:45:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Anti-war ::

Day 11.

posted by me

:: 10:23:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day 11.

ALSO;
The reality of war

Given their strength in numbers and technological advantages, it still seems certain that the coalition will win the war. What is at issue now is: at what cost to innocent civilians and their own soldiers? The US remains confident of victory, but what price the spoils of war?

posted by me

:: 10:12:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Anti-war ::

Day 10.

ALSO:
A civilian tragedy, a PR disaster
Stray missiles and civilian deaths deepen a distrust of America which goes far beyond Baghdad, says Brian Whitaker

posted by me

:: 8:02:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day 10.

ALSO:
Covert missions target Iraqi elite
U.S. teams seek to kill members of Hussein’s inner circle

posted by me

:: 7:56:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War blog of note ::

Back to Iraq 2.0

posted by me

:: 5:29:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE blogs of war ::

One-man newswires meet a global need

posted by me

:: 5:11:00 PM [+] ::
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:: In other news ::

ET fails to 'phone home'
A search for intelligent life in space has drawn a blank.

posted by me

:: 5:03:00 PM [+] ::
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:: UPI update ::

Anti-war protests follow Friday prayers

WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Anti-war protests were held across the Islamic world, and also in some non-Muslim countries, on the second Friday since the war in Iraq began. In most places, people gathered outside mosques after offering their weekly prayers and dispersed peacefully after the protest.

Patriotism boosts American flag sales

CHICAGO, March 28 (UPI) -- American flags, red, white and blue decorations, and yellow ribbons have become part of the nation's landscape as people display patriotic symbols in a show of support for U.S. troops in Iraq. Store managers around the country can't keep flags in stock with the briskest sales reported since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "We had 72 flags a week ago and we're down to four," said John Tierney, manager of the Kmart on west Addison Street. The best-seller is a $9.99, full-size American flag. A display in the front of the store has flags, yellow ribbon pins, and T-shirts reading "U.S.A." and "God Bless America."

posted by me

:: 4:50:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day nine.

0600: The prime minister, Tony Blair, tells the BBC of the "tough and difficult" moments of the Iraq war, which he says may last longer than expected.

ALSO:
BBC Reporters' Log: War in Iraq

The unpredictable war

posted by me

:: 4:44:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Senior war lobbyist is forced to resign::

Richard Perle, a prime mover behind the neo-conservative lobby which pressed for war against Iraq, resigned from a top advisory job to the Pentagon last night, amid allegations of improperly conflicting business interests.

ALSO:
Pentagon Adviser Is Stepping Down

posted by me

:: 10:00:00 PM [+] ::
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:: The Final Straw ::

[Here's a sketch of a story that I just threw together for a regional technology-related publication.]

R.E.M. Joins Others in Online Protest
By Matthew W. Beale

As a US-led military coalition rapidly advanced on Baghdad in late March, and anti-war protests continued in cities around the world, R.E.M. and other big name musical acts went online to raise their concerns through downloadable digital songs.

R.E.M released "the Final Straw" by way of its official Web site, giving users the ability to download the file via Windows Media or QuickTime formats. The song, a primarily acoustic "rough mix from the studio," was first performed on March 23rd in Vancouver, BC, where R.E.M. is working on the follow-up to Reveal, their most recent album, due out in early 2004.

"We had to send something out there now" said lead singer Michael Stipe in a statement at the band's Web site. "This is the strongest voice I could think of."

In “the Final Straw”, R.E.M. questions the wisdom of abandoning diplomatic efforts in favor of military action: "And if I ignore the voice inside/ Raise a half glass to my home./ But it's there that I am most afraid, And forgetting doesn't hold."

The song continues: “Now I don't believe and I never did/ That two wrongs make a right/ If the world were filled with the likes of you/ Then I'm putting up a fight."

The legendary band from Athens, GA, has joined the likes of the Beastie Boys, Green Day, Lennie Kravitz and former Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha in rushing protest songs online, inspired by the war with Iraq.

"We Want Peace," also released online in late March, was recorded by Kravitz with Iraqi musician Kadim Al Sahir and made available through the Rock the Vote Web site.

Billy Bragg, joining a host of others that have similarly sidestepped traditional distribution in times of war, made his song "The Price of Oil" available online. In the opening of the song, Bragg states: "Those brave men and women in uniform/ They want to know what they’re fighting for."

AMERICAN LIFE

While most of the digital protest songs have been available for free via the Internet, Madonna tried a different approach with the release of "American Life" through her Web site, charging $1.49 per download. The move surprised some analysts because of Madonna's previous opposition to different forms of online song-trading -- free and subscription-based.

The Material Girl's online campaign, protesting the military action in Iraq, will be closely watched by a music industry that's still struggling to figure out how to best incorporate the Internet into its business plans.

With the purchase of "American Life," made through the online Paypal service, users receive an unrestricted MP3 that they can play on their computers, portable devices or burn onto CD, along with a statement by the artist thanking buyers for their "support." The song has additionally been offered through some of the fledgling online music subscription services.

"She is doing this to enhance her career, because the music industry is losing sales to Internet piracy," said entertainment lawyer Jerry Reisman in a UPI report. According to Reisman and other observers, the success of Madonna's effort could convince more artists to attempt to bypass the music industry by taking their work directly to consumers by way of the Web.

Although Reisman suggests that artists are "in it for the money," at the moment, Madonna appears to be in the minority. Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore has started a new Web site that offers a number of free protest-related digital song downloads. R.E.M. has reportedly promised "The Last Straw" to the site, and other MP3's currently available include tracks by Eugene Chadbourne, Cat Power and poet Anne Waldman.

Additional protest-related songs are available online, including: Green Day's "Life During Wartime;" Zack de la Rocha and DJ Shadow's "March of Death;" John Mellencamp's "In Washington;" and The Beastie Boys' "In A World Gone Mad."

HACKTIVISM

The war with Iraq was greeted with other forms of protest, including a sharp increase in hacking activity. The number of Web sites attacked and defaced increased dramatically in the 24 hours immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, according to security firm F-Secure, with upwards of 1,000 sites being hit. Computer viruses and worms -- including Ganda -- were also reported, along with several denial-of-service attacks.

The official Web sites of the US Navy and the White House (viewable here) are among those that may have been affected.

There are 3 types of hackers carrying out these attacks, said F-Secure: "US-based patriotic hackers;" "Islamic extremist groups;" and "Peace activists." According to experts, the majority of the attacks fell into the latter category, and were carried out by "script kiddies" using hacking tools.

In a warning issued before the war with Iraq was launched, the FBI has said that any hacking whatsoever, regardless of intent, is a prosecutable offense.

BLAH BLAH BLOG

The Internet, according to many pundits, journalists and others, has become an invaluable resource for those for and against the military action in Iraq, a conflict that's already been described as "first war of the Internet age."

Internet users not only have access to immediate information from a wide variety of international media sources, they're using their own Web sites to organize links to stories and to air their own opinions. Blogs -- short for weblogs -- have been widely used in this respect, sometimes discussing fringe or obscure aspects of current events not always covered by mainstream news sources.

War blogs are as varied as you'd imagine, however, ranging from one that claims to originate from Baghdad, to reports from the front lines, and of course anti-war protests.

"Blogs are unique as they offer a diversity of voices and opinions and war blogs seem more immediate and real to readers than traditional news sites," said City University of London's Neil Thurman in a Dot Journalism report.

If the Web has changed the coverage of world conflict, the current war has in turn altered the online world. According to British ISP Freeserve, "war" has ousted the word "sex" as the most popular Internet search term.

----30----

posted by me

:: 2:37:00 PM [+] ::
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:: For your consideration ::

When are facts facts? Not in a war

posted by me

:: 8:43:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Anti-war ::

Day 8.

posted by me

:: 8:23:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day 8.

posted by me

:: 8:23:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Dissent in wartime ::

Anti-war protest movements help, not hurt, America
By David Greenberg, Slate

Since the bombs began falling last week, critics of the invasion, from Sen. Tom Daschle to Michael Moore, have drawn brickbats for not stifling their sentiments. War has begun, it was said, so dissent must end. It’s not simply hawks who are telling war opponents to shut up.

If dissenters were to follow this advice, it would be not only a mistake, but a historic first. Protesting war isn’t some Vietnam-era relic, like love beads or Country Joe McDonald, but an American democratic tradition.

posted by me

:: 10:19:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Moore @ the Indies ::

Just in case you missed last Saturday's IFP Independent Spirit Awards, here's a report:

In his acceptance, Moore said: "To receive an honor for a non-fiction film when we live in such fictitious times is pretty amazing. We have a fictitious president who won a fictitious election conducting a war for fictitious reasons."

(Sound familiar?)

Backstage in the press tent, Moore -- wearing a badge he made that read, "Shoot Movies, Not Iraqis" -- continued his invective against President Bush in earnest, and said that the war "teaches an immoral lesson to the children of Columbine, it says that violence is acceptable."

Easing up just a bit, Moore concluded with, "Any time you got the Pope and the Dixie Chicks against you, you aren't long for the White House."

posted by me

:: 10:15:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Steal This Stuff! ::

Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore has started a new Web site that offers a number of free protest-related digital song downloads. R.E.M. has reportedly promised the site its song "The Last Straw," and other MP3's currently available include tracks by Eugene Chadbourne, Anne Waldman and Cat Power.

posted by me

:: 10:13:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: And here's Moore ::

Boo Who?

Entertainment Weekly has an interview with Michael Moore regarding his Oscar aceptance speech.

Did you consider an alternate version?
The other road I would have gone down is: ''We've taught the children of Columbine an important lesson this week -- that violence is an acceptable method to resolve a conflict.'' That really bothers me. Sometimes violence is unfortunately necessary in self defense, but what do you call this invasion of Iraq? [If you were to] randomly ask people, ''Do you believe Saddam Hussein is going to kill you this month?'' [would they say, ''Yes''?] Most people were raised with a certain set of Judeo-Christian values that say you don't have the right to take another person's life unless it's in self defense. I have very strong personal beliefs about this, and how can I stop being that person because I walk into the Kodak Theatre? On the other hand, I'm very respectful when I'm a guest in someone's house -- that's the way I was raised. So I put a tux on, I didn't wear a baseball cap, I said what my conscience told me to say and it related in an appropriate way to the message of my film. How wrong would it have been if I'd stood up there and thanked my agent and my lawyer and the designer who gave me the tuxedo? And how could I live with myself?

What are you doing next?
A film tentatively titled ''Fahrenheit 9/11.'' It's about the country since 9/11 and how I believe that event is being used as a cover for the Bush Administration to enact policies that aren't in the best interests of the American people. It's about what led to 9/11 and what's happened since. I live in New York City, so we've all been affected by this and I'm not over it either. We knew somebody on one of the flights who died, and the firemen on our block. So I don't want whatever the important lessons are that we need to learn from this to fade away. I certainly don't like those who died that day being dishonored and being used to pass laws so they can force librarians to give up their reading lists.

posted by me

:: 9:25:00 PM [+] ::
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:: More on the war ::

Bush: The day of reckoning draws near

posted by me

:: 9:13:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War update ::

From BBC News:
In pictures: Baghdad shops bombing

posted by me

:: 8:25:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Another Bloghdad update ::

From Wired:
Hubbub Over a Headlock

posted by me

:: 8:10:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Anti-war ::

Day seven.

ALSO:
Lenny Kravitz releases anti-war song with Iraqi star

posted by me

:: 7:55:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War porn ::

From the Guardian UK:
With their jazzy graphics, fact boxes and breathless statistics, the military pundits are everywhere. But aren't they enjoying themselves a little too much? And who wants to know all this stuff anyway? Could sex have something to do with it, wonders Emma Brockes

posted by me

:: 7:51:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day seven.

posted by me

:: 7:47:00 AM [+] ::
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:: More on the war ::

Bush: 'We cannot know the duration of this war'
Asks Congress for $74.7 billion

posted by me

:: 4:28:00 PM [+] ::
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'THE FINAL STRAW' FOR REM

The band performed 'The Final Straw' for the first time at a low-key instore appearance in Vancouver at the weekend (March 23), and have now made a studio version available on their official website - click here to hear it and view the lyrics.

This is the strongest voice I could think of to send out there.
We had to send something out there now.
We are praying and hoping for the lives of all people involved,
the troops, the Iraqi civilians, refugees, pow's, families of troops, the innocents--
that they are safe and okay. Safe home, all. --Michael Stipe

Here are the lyrics:

As I raise my head to broadcast my objection
As your latest triumph draws the final straw
Who died and lifted you up to perfection?
And what silenced me is written into law.

I can't believe where circumstance has thrown me
And I turn my head away
If I look I'm not sure that I could face you.
Not again. Not today. Not today.

If hatred makes a play on me tomorrow
And forgiveness takes a back seat to revenge
There's a hurt down deep that has not been corrected
There's a voice in me that says you will not win.

And if I ignore the voice inside,
Raise a half glass to my home.
But it's there that I am most afraid,
And forgetting doesn't hold.

It doesn't hold. Now I don't believe and I never did
That two wrongs make a right.
If the world were filled with the likes of you
Then I'm putting up a fight. Putting up a fight.
Putting up a fight. Make it right. Make it right.

Now love cannot be called into question.
Forgiveness is the only hope I hold.
And love-- love will be my strongest weapon.
I do believe that I am not alone.

For this fear will not destroy me.
And the tears that have been shed
It's knowing now where I am weakest
And the voice in my head. In my head.

Then I raise my voice up higher
And I look you in the eye
And I offer love with one condition.
With conviction, tell me why.
Tell me why.
Tell me why.
Look me in the eye.
Tell me why.

(p) 2003 R.E.M./Athens L.L.C.
Buck, Mills, Stipe ©2003 Temporary Music (BMI)
Administered in total by Warner- Tamerlane

From remhq.com:
03.23.03 -- POSTCARD FROM VANCOUVER
03.24.03 -- PHOTOS FROM YESTERDAY'S VANCOUVER IN-STORE

posted by me

:: 8:56:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day six.

ALSO: Battle for Baghdad begins.

posted by me

:: 8:31:00 AM [+] ::
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:: RE Roman ::

War may have helped Polanski’s win

ALSO: Cautious Celebration

posted by me

:: 10:09:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War ::

Day five.

[Here's day four in case, like me, you missed it.]

ALSO, here's an anti-war update.

posted by me

:: 9:59:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Quote of the day ::

"We live in fictitious times. We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elect a fictitious president. We live in a time where we have a man who's sending us to war for fictitious reasons, whether it's the fiction of duct tape or the fiction of orange alerts," Michael Moore last night @ the Oscars.

posted by me

:: 9:57:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Bloghdad update ::

From Paul Boutin.com:
Is the Baghdad Blogger for real?

posted by me

:: 9:58:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Swept Away ::

On the eve of the Oscars, Madonna sweeps the Razzies!

posted by me

:: 8:51:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Kendall Damon Waters-Bey ::

Md. Marine 'a Kid Who Did the Right Thing'

posted by me

:: 2:03:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE Iraq ::

War: Day three

Anti-war: Day three

posted by me

:: 2:01:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Optimus Prime ::

From Dave Barry's blog:
WHY WE CANNOT POSSIBLY LOSE THIS WAR
Because this guy is on our side.

posted by cybertronian me

:: 7:58:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War.com ::
from the yep-that-pravda dept.

The War Seizes the Internet

America, like no other country that ever waged a war, demonstrated to the whole of the world that wars begin not in Iraqi sands or in the Persian Gulf, not in Munich pubs or in Afghani mountains. Wars originate in the human minds and end there. And in the course of a war, the key battles go on paper, and now they are carried out certainly in the cyber space. And in this situation, neither a silly, cruel and painfully stubborn president, nor officials with their unnatural patriotism, nobody will be able to pass this Pyrrhic victory for triumph of democracy. And no American censorship, although it is considered to be the most refined in the world, no information and other kinds of prohibitions can be effective on the net.

ALSO:

War News Drives Web Traffic Surge

Internet plays big role in Iraq war

Protesters use technology to organize, socialize and evade police

Web Site Hacks Rise as War Rages in Iraq

posted by me

:: 3:31:00 PM [+] ::
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:: /. ::

Major Strike on Iraq Underway

The major news sources are reporting that much larger scale attacks are now underway in Iraq. Here is CNNs story. Pentagon officials have confirmed that this is "A-day" for war, presumably the so called "Shock & Awe" mentioned by the White House earlier. In other words, it starts now. Update: 18:01 GMT by CT: Iraq has apparently ordered CNN out of Baghdad.

RELATED:
US, Britain in hurry to reach Baghdad-UK general
AND Iraq - Snapshot of the war - 1900 GMT

[Join the Slashdot discussion]

This is really the WWE equivalent of The Rock beating on a retarded 11 year old kid. If it has to be done, get it over with but please don't brag about it, and don't hype it up as if the outcome were in question. -outsider007 (115534)

Deep thoughts with Slashdot:
Logic is a pretty flower that smells bad.

posted by me

:: 1:00:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Other news ::

Search for ET

After one day of re-observing promising radio sources at the Arecibo radio telescope, the SETI@home project has been bumped from the telescope's observing schedule until next Monday, March 24, so that researchers can observe a rare solar flare.

ALSO:
As Conflict Begins, Researchers Work to Define Humanity's Aspirations for ET

posted by me

:: 12:30:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE Decapitation ::

Attack on Saddam instigates debate over assassination

posted by me

:: 9:38:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Dying for peace ::

Two killed in anti-war protests

At least two people - including a policeman - have been killed in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, at an anti-war march as protests against the conflict in Iraq continue in many countries.

posted by me

:: 9:35:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Electronic Iraq ::

"A news portal on the US-Iraq crisis" produced by Voices in the Wilderness and the Electronic Intifada.

RELATED: Net diaries describe Baghdad attack
Web writers provide ground level view from inside the city

Net users offer glimpse of life in Iraq
As war starts, dispatches describe life in Baghdad

War a Boon for News Sites, Blogs

AND Reporters' Log: At war in Iraq

posted by me

:: 9:24:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: "Cyberterror and professional paranoiacs" ::

Declan McCullagh's latest column @ CNET News.com:

During an appearance on Thursday to ask a House panel for a fatter 2004 budget, Ridge claimed that cyberterrorists were just as dangerous as physical ones.

Last I checked, it was physical terrorists who bombed the Marine barracks in Lebanon, who attacked the U.S.S. Cole, who took out the Oklahoma City federal building, and who suicide-bombed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Wily-fingered hackers had nothing to do with it.

posted by me

:: 9:09:00 AM [+] ::
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:: "Web users make war, not love" ::

A Reuters report @ ZDNet UK:
War has toppled sex as the most popular search term among Web users as the conflict in Iraq captures the attention and apparently lowers libidos of online Britons, top Internet service Freeserve says.

posted by me

:: 8:49:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: In pictures ::

War in Iraq, day two

In words: US and UK suffer casualties

posted by me

:: 8:43:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: From the space-case files ::

UFOs are Saddam's secret

President Bush decided to attack Iraq because he was scared Saddam Hussein would use technology from a crashed alien spaceship, UFO watchers claim.

posted by me

:: 9:24:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: War blog ::

Check this one out.

posted by me

:: 9:19:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Senate War Resolution ::

Here's the text of the resolution from the AP.

Meanwhile...
Opponents and Supporters of Iraq War Submit Resolutions to House

AND from The Washington Post:
Congress Unites Behind Troops, Iraq War

posted by me

:: 8:53:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Anti-war update ::

US Anti-War Protests Flare, More Than 1,000 Arrests

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Police arrested more than 1,000 people in San Francisco on Thursday -- the most demonstrators taken into custody on a single day in the city in 22 years -- as tens of thousands protested across America against the U.S. war in Iraq.

"If this was happening in every city, there would either be martial law or an end to war," said one Berkeley student who chained himself to 16 others on a major San Francisco street.

Protests took place in other cities across the United States as well as in European capitals.

ALSO:
SF cops arrest more than 1,000 in struggle for city's streets
CONTRA COSTA TIMES

posted by me

:: 8:32:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: War: the latest ::

From The Guardian UK:
Coalition troops seize Iraqi town

ALSO:
March 20 2003: War in Iraq, day one [in pictures]

posted by me

:: 3:01:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: Homeland security in action ::

U.S. battens down, detaining Iraqis

WASHINGTON, March 20 — The nation battened down under security not seen since the Sept. 11 attacks as U.S. forces attacked on Wednesday night. And the FBI is using new powers to detain several dozen Iraqis in the United States who are believed to pose a wartime threat.

THE ORDER took effect Feb. 28, the last day the Immigration and Naturalization Service and its enforcement laws fell under Justice Department jurisdiction. The INS ceased to exist the next day, when it was folded into the Homeland Security Department.

Attorney General John Ashcroft’s decision, confirmed Wednesday by two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, gives more than 11,000 FBI agents and several thousand marshals new arrest powers. Previously, that authority was reserved for INS agents, some Customs agents and 35 police officers in South Florida under a program promoted by Ashcroft.

Other security measures include monitoring of the Internet for signs of cyber-terrorism, hacking and “state-sponsored information warfare.”

posted by me

:: 2:52:00 PM [+] ::
...

:: A Live Report From Baghdad -- Slate ::

The mood on the streets remains somber and sullen. Stores are mostly closed, and those that are open have run out of duct tape, gasoline, and aluminum foil (which is wrapped around computers to shield them from e-bombs). People seem sad, resigned, sometimes resistant, mostly fearful. There is universal opposition to the war: George W. Bush's name is spit with venom. Yesterday, a soldier saw me on the street and shouted, "George Bush, I fucked your mother. We will win this war because you are here. You are a human shield. We are all human shields and the world is with us." Still, Iraq's celebrated hospitality remains, even in wartime. I have been greeted with kisses and hugs as often as I have with people pointing fingers at me and yelling pow-pow.

posted by me

:: 11:13:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: RE Ganda ::

From CNET News.com:
Virus writers take advantage of war

... to release an e-mail supposedly offering a variety of war-themed attachments, ranging from secret U.S. spy pictures of Iraq to screensavers mocking President George W. Bush. However, the e-mails actually contain a new worm called Ganda.

We're keen to stress that we still have this virus as a low risk at the moment," said Jack Clark, a manager for McAfee anti-virus products. "But it does show how far some virus writers are prepared to go to get attention."

This latest virus scare reveals the continuing trend of picking a particularly topical event, subject or figure and using it as a hook to tempt computer users into launching a virus.

posted by me

:: 10:18:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: Domestic resistance ::

Anti-war protesters target U.S. cities

posted by me

:: 10:00:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: etc. ::

The following is from a Guardian UK Speical Report:

Propaganda broadcast
As the attack began, American messages were broadcast on Iraqi airwaves saying: "This is the day you have been waiting for," according to Al-Jazeera TV.

Meanwhile, Iraqi satellite television, broadcasting after the attack began, said of the US troops: "It's an inferno that awaits them. Let them try their faltering luck and they shall meet what awaits them."

In other developments, oil prices tumbled to three-month lows as dealers bet on a swift US victory with little disruption to Middle East supply.

posted by me

:: 9:49:00 AM [+] ::
...

:: The day in quotes ::

From The Guardian UK:
Comments from around the world as the war in Iraq gets under way

"Soon, the US will have to reap the fruits of what they are doing now, and the fruits won't be sweet."
-Vladimir Lukin, Russian MP and former ambassador to Washington

posted by me

:: 9:37:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Da bomb ::

Wired has reports on e-bombs and thermobaric bombs.

posted by me

:: 9:25:00 AM [+] ::
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:: The early reviews are in ::

From the Financial Times:
World reacts to US assault on Iraq

posted by me

:: 8:52:00 AM [+] ::
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:: 'DECAPITATION ATTACK' ::

From CNN.com:
Bush gives order to attack Iraq
Cruise missiles target Saddam in morning attack

He said the first strikes were against "selected targets of military importance," including what Pentagon officials said was a "decapitation attack" to take out Iraqi President Saddam Hussein even before the planned start of the war.

ALSO from Newsday.com:
Text of Bush's Remarks

posted by me

:: 9:58:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Now it's hit the Web ::

FOX News:
United States Launches War Against Iraq

/.:
War Has Begun
[Join the Slashdot discussion]

BBC News:
War on Iraq begins

posted by me

:: 9:15:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Quote of the day ::

"Once the war against Saddam Hussein begins, we expect every American to support our military, and if you can't do that, just shut up. Americans, and indeed our foreign allies who actively work against our military once the war is underway, will be considered enemies of the state by me." -Bill O'Reilly in a recent FOX News broadcast

Although it hasn't yet hit the Web, according to FOX News, "the war against Iraq has begun." Bush is set to address the nation @ 10:15pm EST. This is Bush's war and I think he's a fucking rube and I hold him personally responsible for the lives about to be lost. I know that it's been said many times before, but redundancy is called for. Many of the same Americans that called Clinton a "draft dodging son of a bitch" refuse to utter a word about Bush's Vietnam record. Support the troops? Absolutely. By all means, pray if you're religious. But for me, the fact that the idiot is asking young Americans to do what he never had the balls to is but one of a numbing number of reasons why I won't be shutting up.

posted by anti-war but not un-american me

:: 8:52:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Daily briefing ::

The latest from The Guardian UK:
Earplugs sell out in Iraq

posted by me

:: 5:48:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Bloghdad? ::

A blog from Baghdad?

posted by me

:: 5:31:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Today: Annan on Iraq ::

From a BBC report.

Kofi Annan told the security council it was "a sad day for the United Nations".

"I know that millions of people around the world share this sense of disappointment and are deeply alarmed," he said.

posted by me.

:: 5:19:00 PM [+] ::
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:: DYING FOR PEACE ::

Iraq War Protester Dies in Golden Gate Bridge Fall

posted by me

:: 4:53:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Countdown ::

From The Guardian UK:
An hour-by-hour chronology of diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iraq crisis

Most recent:
1130: There are reports that allied forces have entered the demilitarised zone straddling the Iraq-Kuwait border.

posted by me

:: 4:21:00 PM [+] ::
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:: From the fine trustafarians that run THE ONION ::

Gulf War II: The Vengeance
Military Pormises 'Huge Numbers'

"If you thought the first one was good, just wait until you see the sequel," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said of Gulf War II, scheduled to hit Iraqi theaters of operation March 22. "In the original, as you no doubt know, we defeat Saddam Hussein, only to let him slip away at the very end. This time, we're going back in to take out the trash."

posted by me ;)

:: 4:07:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War Inc. ::

American corporations with close ties to the White House are poised to cash in on Saddam's defeat. French companies need not apply.
By Farhad Manjoo, Salon

ALSO:
From Forbes:
War could be big business for Halliburton

NEW YORK, March 19 (Reuters) - When it comes to making money from a war in Iraq, few can match the firepower of the company once headed by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney.

Corporate America Divvies Up The Post-Saddam Spoils
By Arianna Huffington, AlterNet
from the yes-that-arianna dept.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a winner in Iraq. Yes, I know that the first smart bomb has yet to be dropped on Baghdad. But that's just a formality. The war has already been won. The conquering heroes are not generals in fatigues but CEOs in suits, and the shock troops are not an advance guard of commandos but legions of lobbyists.

AND Cheney's Dirty Business 02/27/03

At a time of war, at what point does subverting our national security in the name of profitability turn from ugly business into high treason?

posted by me

:: 4:02:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE preemptive strikes ::

Transcript: White House Daily Briefing, March 19, 2003

Q: Ari, to return to the question of preemption and uniqueness of the Iraqi threat. Isn't the problem here that uniqueness, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder, and that another country might just as sincerely conclude that they face a threat from an enemy that is unique to them and can only be dealt with by preemptive military force?

MR. FLEISCHER: Ken, you have asked me what the President thinks, and I've told you what the President thinks. I think if you have other thoughts about it, you would need to talk to other countries to see what they would say about this. But I can share with you what the President's approach is.

Q: He doesn't see that possibility, that some other country might come to that same conclusion just as sincerely, and use this --

MR. FLEISCHER: It's exactly as I said, the President views this as a unique matter in the world.

posted by me

:: 3:12:00 PM [+] ::
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:: More views from abroad ::

A Guardian UK report:
View from the street
From Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Fez in Morocco, here is a selection of reactions to the looming war in Iraq. By Amal Ewida

ALSO: From UPI's Think Tanks roundup:
WASHINGTON -- A view from the Arab world: a survey in five countries
By Shibley Telhami

-- On possible war with Iraq
Despite the U.S. claim that it intends to spread democratic values and ideals throughout the world, war with Iraq will bring less democracy in the view of 95 percent of Saudis, 66 percent of Moroccans, 60 percent of Egyptians, 58 percent of Jordanians, and 74 percent of Lebanese.

More than three-fourths of Egyptians, Lebanese, and an overwhelming majority (90 percent) of Moroccans think that war with Iraq will bring less peace in the Middle East. More than half of Jordanians (60 percent) think that war with Iraq will bring less peace in the Middle East.

[This page also features another piece that asks how Has Blix has found the time to hang out on MTV.]

posted by me

:: 12:19:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "Americans have to be prepared for loss of life" ::

From UPI:
Bush informs Congress war in Iraq is near

In a letter to lawmakers Wednesday, President George W. Bush formally activated the authority to pursue military action against Iraq granted by Congress last October.

In the letter, Bush said that he had determined that "reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq."

posted by me

:: 12:07:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "the constitutional minimum" ::

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio (AP report) The government has room to scale back individual rights during wartime without violating the Constitution, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Tuesday.

"The Constitution just sets minimums," Scalia said after a speech at John Carroll University in suburban Cleveland. "Most of the rights that you enjoy go way beyond what the Constitution requires."

posted by me

:: 10:17:00 PM [+] ::
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:: MM speaks ::

From the Santa Fe New Mexican:
COMMENTARY: Michael Moore's Letter to George W. Bush on the Eve of War

As Bill Maher said last week, how bad do you have to suck to lose a popularity contest with Saddam Hussein? The whole world is against you, Mr. Bush. Count your fellow Americans among them.

posted by me

:: 3:55:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE George II ::

From The Guardian UK: International press review

War has become a riveting made-for-TV extravaganza. The average American is used to watching CNN footage of wars in obscure countries where the good guys crush the bad guys with high-tech weapons. Bush has promised to serve up the same kind of entertainment, only on a bigger scale. Now he has to stand and deliver.

posted by me.

:: 3:28:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "Who will celebrate and who will weep?" ::

From The Guardian UK:
Full text: Tony Blair's speech

And again I say: I do not disrespect the views of those in opposition to mine.

RELATED:
LIVE: Iraq emergency debate

posted by me

:: 3:19:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE Bush's ultimatum ::

Excerpts from editorials in Florida newspapers

Rather than going into Iraq with world support - as was the case in 1991 - what we have instead is a so-called coalition of the willing, which really means the United States and a few other nations being dragged along.

And that puts our nation out on one of the most precarious limbs in its history, with long-term consequences that no one will be able to ignore.

posted by me

:: 3:02:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "... a grave responsibility before God, their conscience and history." ::

From BBC News:
In quotes: Reaction to Bush ultimatum

Reaction has been coming in from around the world following US President George W Bush's deadline for President Saddam Hussein and his two sons to leave Iraq by 0100GMT on Thursday 20 March or face war.

Sample quote:

"Moscow believes there are no grounds for saying that a political-diplomatic solution to the situation in Iraq has no chance, that the 'time for diplomacy is over'." -Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Yakovenko

posted by me

:: 2:50:00 PM [+] ::
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:: George & Saddam update ::

From The Financial Times:
Saddam rejects Bush's 48-hour ultimatum
By FT Reporters
Published: March 17 2003 20:42 | Last Updated: March 18 2003 18:31

On Tuseday, Hussein reacted in a predictable way to Bush's deadline on Iraqi TV. While countries like Germany, France and Canada expressed opposition -- and Russia's Putin ended weeks of silence by condemning the imminent war with Iraq -- "the US and Britain said they were building an alternative international alliance."

Here's my favorite part: "Denmark pledged to send a small corvette and a submarine to the Gulf ..."

[Thanks to Reugen for the link.]

Related Reuters report:
Iraq TV: Saddam Rejects Bush's Ultimatum

posted by me

:: 2:23:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "... retarded nation ..." ::

From Yahoo! News:
Dixie Chicks Continue To Receive Backlash For Anti-Bush Comments

In Bossier City, Louisiana, a 33,000-pound tractor was used to crush Dixie Chicks CDs and other items, according to the AP.

posted by a dixie dude

:: 10:30:00 PM [+] ::
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:: The going gets weird(er) ::

From The Washington Post:

Tractor Driver in Standoff With Police on Mall
By David Nakamura and Allan Lengel
Tuesday, March 18, 2003

A North Carolina tobacco farmer yesterday drove a tractor that he claimed was carrying explosives into a pond on the Mall, leading to a marathon standoff with law enforcement agents that created massive traffic tie-ups and sparked security fears among already tense federal and local officials and residents.

The man, who began playing music and speaking through a loudspeaker, was wearing military fatigues and a helmet with a red cross on it and was waving an American flag.

Painted on the green John Deere tractor were the messages "Salute to Veterans" and "God Bless Our Troops." A sticker bearing the words "MP Air Force" was displayed on the vehicle.

posted by me

:: 10:26:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Give civil disobedience a chance ::

From NEPA News, PA:
Protesters vow to greet war with widespread disobedience

They call it Day X, Trigger Day, The Day Of, or The Day After. Anti-war activists are using varying shorthand for an outbreak of war with Iraq -- and they are designing a wide menu of protest strategies, from provocation to prayer.

posted by me

:: 10:20:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Anti-war update ::

From The Glasgow Herald, UK:
The world braces itself for outbreak of hostilities

With the countdown to war entering its final hours yesterday, protests across the world grew louder as world leaders began preparing for the fall-out caused by military action.

posted by me

:: 8:39:00 PM [+] ::
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:: For your consideration ::

From Republicons.org:
Bush, Media Complicit in American False Beliefs on War in Iraq

Poll numbers released in the past few days have shown that between 54 and over 60 percent of Americans favor launching a first strike war on Iraq. These numbers are far greater than any other country; in Britain, Bush’s sole ally of note, less than 20 percent of the populous favors war without UN authorization. Why the disparity? The blame falls on George W Bush’s treatment of facts, suspicions and falsehoods as equals and the US media’s inability or unwillingness to contradict him where appropriate.

posted by me

:: 8:22:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Robin & Tony ::

From The Guardian UK:
Robin Cook's resignation letter

Full texts of the letters exchanged today between the Commons leader, Robin Cook, and the prime minister, Tony Blair.

I believe it is against Britain's interests to create a precedent for unilateral military action.

posted by me

:: 8:14:00 PM [+] ::
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:: President Chawbacon's address ::

From The Washington Post:
Bush Gives Hussein 48 Hours to Leave Iraq

I had the televised address on in the background, hearing the same tired nonsense: clear and present danger [yawn]. But, the following caught my attention: “the tyrant will soon be gone." Huh? What? [suddenly waking up] Is the fucking rube stepping down? OH... OK, he meant Saddam, but just let me have my dreams...

Here's the text of Bush's speech, from Reuters.

This blog post was brought to you by the color orange.

posted by me

:: 8:00:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Russia speaks ::

From The Guardian UK:
Putin: War on Iraq Would Be a Mistake

MOSCOW (AP) - Ending weeks of silence, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned military action against Iraq, saying Monday that war would be a mistake that could imperil world security.

posted by me

:: 12:36:00 PM [+] ::
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:: fyi ::

Full text: Azores press conference 3.16.03

ALSO:

As you've probably heard, Kofi Annan has ordered the evacuation of UN weapons inspectors and "humanitarian staff" from Iraq.

And, Israel Plans for Possible Iraqi Strike.

posted by me

:: 12:24:00 PM [+] ::
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:: ...4, 3, 2... ::

From a Reuters report:
U.S. Ends Diplomacy, Bush to Address Nation

"The United Nations has failed to enforce its own demands that Iraq immediately disarm. As a result, the diplomatic window has been closed," Ari Fleischer said.

posted by me

:: 11:03:00 AM [+] ::
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:: So Weird ::

From Chuck Shepherd's News of the Weird:

Two TV stations reported in February that Paul West of Winsted, Conn., had taken the then-current Homeland Security alerts very seriously and covered his entire house, top to bottom, with 3,500 square feet of plastic sheeting to "protect" against "radiological or biological or chemical attack," he said. West, his wife and two children live on a farm outside Winsted, in northern Connecticut, about 120 miles from New York City. Said West, "I just have all this energy from tension and anxiety (about terrorism), and I don't know what to do with it." [WTNH-TV (New Haven), 2-12-03; USA Today, 2-14-03]

Send your Weird News to Chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 18737, Tampa FL 33679 or WeirdNews@earthlink.net.

posted by me

:: 10:59:00 AM [+] ::
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:: War-related resignation in the UK ::

From BBC News:
Cook quits over Iraq crisis
Last Updated: Monday, 17 March, 2003, 16:23 GMT

Robin Cook, "one of the highest profile figures in the Labour Party," has resigned from his position as Leader of the House of Commons.

Announcing the news, Downing Street said Mr Cook would make a personal statement in the House of Commons on Monday evening.

It is the first ministerial exit over Iraq policy, and a major blow to Tony Blair as he faces a growing rebellion within his own party over his handling of the crisis.

His departure comes as the UK, US and Spain effectively abandoned efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the Iraq crisis.

posted by me

:: 10:42:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Looking abroad for war-related news ::

From Wired:
Media Watchdogs Caught Napping
By Leander Kahney, 02:00 AM Mar. 17, 2003 PT

In the run up to a conflict in Iraq, foreign news websites are seeing large volumes of traffic from America, as U.S. citizens increasingly seek news coverage about the coming war.

"Given how timid most U.S. news organizations have been in challenging the White House position on Iraq, I'm not surprised if Americans are turning to foreign news services for a perspective on the conflict that goes beyond freedom fries," said Deborah Branscom, a Newsweek contributing editor, who keeps a weblog devoted to media issues.

posted by me

:: 10:20:00 AM [+] ::
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:: For your consideration ::

From The Oregonian:
Commentary: New Iraq policy revelations prove to be a sordid sampler

Eventually, this whole story will be told. It will be a story of distrust and deception, of new forms of conspiracy, coups and hijackings, all of them far removed from our American historical experience.

posted by me

:: 10:27:00 PM [+] ::
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:: The meaning of the card? ::

From The Guardian UK:
Iraq: the final 24 hours

"I was the guy who said we should vote [at the UN] and one country showed their card - it's an old Texas expression when you're playing poker," Bush said. "We will just have to take an assessment after tomorrow to determine what that card meant."

The official Iraqi News Agency said President Saddam had last night warned that if Iraq was attacked, it will take the war anywhere in the world "wherever there is sky, land or water".

ALSO:
Preparing for battle: wisecracks, war films and thoughts of loved ones
A report from northern Kuwait

posted by me

:: 9:37:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Eat a PETA! ::

March 15, 2003: Today was International Eat a PETA activist to save the animals day. "The liver with onions today was to die for, and yes, the liver was actually screened," said A. Cabal Hernlint in an exclusive e-mail interview with BLOG NATION. "For dinner, we featured a selection from from Le Cordon Bleu for cannibals, a mysterious and glossy ragout on saffron rice. Darkly thrilling."

Hernlint repeatedly disregarded most questions, including why the event was taking place. When pressed one last time, he made a cryptic reference to an experience with a census taker.

BLOG NATION considered handing over these e-mails to the appropriate federal authorities, but realized that they had been, in all probability, already intercepted.

posted by me ;)

:: 1:30:00 AM [+] ::
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:: "Stop Mad Cowboy Disease" ::

From Yahoo! News:
Thousands Surround White House in Anti-War Protest

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Americans from more than 100 cities surrounded the White House in a peaceful anti-war protest on Saturday, in perhaps their last chance to dissuade the Bush administration from invading Iraq.

Religious leaders have planned a Sunday evening prayer vigil at Washington's Lincoln Memorial that will coincide with thousands of other candlelight vigils across the world.

"My hope is that on Monday morning the administration will realize there are two superpowers in the world: the United States and world opinion," said the Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches.

posted by me

:: 10:58:00 PM [+] ::
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:: US v. them ::

From the Washington Post:
We Don't Even Agree On What's Newsworthy
By David Greenberg
Sunday, March 16, 2003

A rift now separates the United States and the world -- not just a diplomatic gap, but a perception gap. One sign of the sundering is the discrepancy in how journalists here and abroad have treated some recent stories. Repeatedly, unflattering aspects of America's foreign policy have gotten big play overseas while receiving fleeting comment or shrugs at home.

posted by me

:: 10:53:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity ::

From the Austin American-Statesman:
Ex-CIA Officers Questioning Iraq Data

WASHINGTON (AP)--A small group composed mostly of retired CIA officers is appealing to colleagues still inside to go public with any evidence the Bush administration is slanting intelligence to support its case for war with Iraq.

Members of the group contend the Bush administration has released information on Iraq that meets only its ends--while ignoring or withholding contrary reporting.

posted by me

:: 10:49:00 PM [+] ::
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:: A sign of the times ::

From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Traveler with anti-war signs finds complaint inserted into bag after security search
(03-15) 15:11 PST SEATTLE (AP) --

An airline passenger who had two "No War with Iraq" signs in his suitcase says the federal security agent who opened his luggage inserted a note criticizing his "anti-American attitude."

"I found it chilling and a little Orwellian to have received this message," said Seth Goldberg, 41, of Cranbury, N.J.

posted by me

:: 5:58:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Patriot II update ::

From The Sierra Times:
Conservatives And Liberals Unite In Opposition
By Michael Gaddy

The heart of the issue, according to conservatives, liberals and constitutional scholars, is the effect that USA Patriot has already had on issues of probable cause and due process, and that both of those concepts would be further eroded if the so-called Patriot II were adopted as it appears in the draft form.

posted by me

:: 3:06:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Link of the day ::

An excerpt from Douglas Coupland's All Families are Psychotic.

posted by me

:: 10:49:00 PM [+] ::
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:: MORE ROLLINS ::

Here's a brief interview with Henry Rollins from the Edmonton Journal.

What do you think is motivating Bush?

Rollins: I do not know. I really think, not to be vulgar, but I really think it's a dick thing. Never understimate the power of that. It is quite a factor with guys. When you have that many of your guys surrounding a country then go home and have Saddam Hussein say, 'We won again.' Bush won't be able to stand that. It's what gets you into war in the first place. It's always a guy thing.

ALSO:
From the Winnipeg Sun: Bombarding Henry

posted by me

:: 9:04:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Coping with terror? ::

From BBC News:
Settlers offer West Bank 'terror tours'

Jewish settlers are offering special "terror tours" of the West Bank and Gaza, in which tourists will be trained to fire weapons and participate in mock fights with Arab militants.

ITINERARY
- Weapons training
- Tracking 'terrorists' in desert
- Aerial tour of 'terrorist enclaves'
- Experience of F-16 bombers and tanks
- Paintball attack on 'Arab village'

"I realised that Israel, which has great expertise in dealing with terror, will be able to teach people how to deal with fear, so there is not this mass panic when something happens," said organiser Jake Greenwald.

[Thanks to Reugen for the link.]

posted by me

:: 8:47:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Exhuming McCarthy? -- update ::

From UPI:
Analysis: Is a Hollywood blacklist coming?
By Pat Nason

Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actor nominee for "Gangs of New York," described the Catch-22 that celebrities find themselves in -- as they are constantly quizzed by reporters about their political views.

"The media are sick and tired of people in my profession giving their opinion, and yet you're asking me my opinion," said Day-Lewis. "And when I give it you'll say, 'Why doesn't he shut up?'"

Talk of a blacklist may be premature, but the content of the debate is becoming increasingly toxic in some quarters.

If Mike Farrell, Janeane Garofalo, Jessica Lange and the rest exercise their constitutional right to express their political opinions, what's the big deal? Would any American seriously wish to live in a country where expressing a political point of view is a punishable offense?

posted by me

:: 4:50:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Anti-War update ::

From the Austin American-Statesman:
Europeans Stop Work to Protest Iraq War

Labor unions said millions of workers in countries including Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Cyprus answered a continentwide call to strike for 15 minutes to press for peace.

posted by me

:: 4:41:00 PM [+] ::
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:: OOPS: The latest RE Iraq ::

From CNN.com: Fake Iraq documents embarrassment for U.S.
From David Ensor
Friday, March 14, 2003 Posted: 3:40 PM EST (2040 GMT)

The documents, given to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei, indicated that Iraq might have tried to buy 500 tons of uranium from Niger, but the agency said they were "obvious" fakes.

The discovery raises questions such as why the apparent forgeries were given to inspectors and why U.S. and British intelligence agents did not recognize that they were not authentic.

"I'm sure the FBI and CIA must be mortified by this because it is extremely embarrassing to them," former CIA official Ray Close said.

posted by me

:: 4:25:00 PM [+] ::
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:: This day in history ::

On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein is born, the son of a Jewish electrical engineer in Ulm, Germany. Einstein's theories of special and general relativity drastically altered man's view of the universe, and his work in particle and energy theory helped make possible quantum mechanics and, ultimately, the atomic bomb.

posted by m(e=mc2)

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." (Sign hanging in Einstein's office at Princeton)

:: 12:47:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Remembering the browser wars ::

Perspectives, from CNET News.com:
What if Netscape had won?
By Charles Cooper

It's anniversary season in Silicon Valley. When March 10 rolled around, the San Francisco Bay Area's media dutifully marked the three-year anniversary of the peak of the Internet frenzy with the usual menu of "then and now" stories. Truth be told, it was a date few people in this region--let alone the wider computer industry--cared to fix in their calendars.

posted by me

:: 12:35:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Serious Blogging ::

From Wired:
Reporter Takes His Weblog to War

Sporting a cameraman's vest and lugging a satellite phone, Christopher Allbritton may be no match for heavy artillery. But he's apparently got enough guts to be the Web's first independent war correspondent.

Allbritton, a former New York Daily News reporter living in the East Village, plans to file stories directly to his weblog, Back to Iraq 2.0, next month as part of an independent news-gathering expedition to Iraq.

Allbritton is raising money for his journey by soliciting donations through PayPal and Amazon.com's "Click to Give" system. Sixty visitors to his weblog have already donated more than $1,800. In exchange, Allbritton will send contributors dispatches and photos a day before he posts them on his blog.

"They'll also get to play assignment editor, by e-mailing me story suggestions," he said. "But I'll only act within reason. I'm not going to get myself killed."

Allbritton responsed to the Wired piece on his blog:

Well, I’m pleased as all get out. Wired.com’s lead story is about B2I and headlined, “Reporter Takes His Weblog to War.” It tends to focus on my technology plans — sat-phones, laptops, etc. — more so than my plans for an independent journalism, but overall a decent story. I hope this sends my traffic up and there have already been some new donations. Let’s see if this attention helps out. Stay tuned.

posted by me

:: 11:07:00 AM [+] ::
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:: Quote of the day ::

"People say "Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world". Yeah, maybe, but you know what, after the first 3 largest armies, there's a REAL big fucking drop-off. The Hare Krishnas are the 5th largest army in the world, and they've already got all our airports."
-Bill Hicks

posted by me

:: 8:27:00 PM [+] ::
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:: An American comic in London ::

From the Guardian UK:
Stars and slights
Try telling a bunch of Alabama rednecks that your song about killing George Dubya is meant to be ironic. William Cook meets Rich Hall, the US comic who finds his best audiences in the UK

"The last couple of shows, I've been doing this song called Let's Get Together And Kill George Bush - something I couldn't do in America."

Ironically, Bill Hicks, probably the most significant (and funny) US stand up of the late 80s and early 90s, was far bigger in the UK than he was in the US. Check out Hicks' inspired stand-up rant about the last Gulf War, on his second live album, Relentless (Rykodisc) - it's hardly dated (even the president's name is the same).

Hall's measured view of the current Gulf crisis is more middle of the road than Hicks'. "I just don't think he's a very strong leader," he says of Dubya. "I wish I could see somebody who could come out and just explain in really engaging and convincing terms why we should be getting rid of these assholes, [but] I don't think he's the guy. I don't think he's communicated his intent to the people, and that's why there's so much reaction to it. Nobody would have any problem getting rid of Idi Amin, but it's the idea of going to war in a country that's oil rich, being led by a man who's basically worked in oil all his life. That's the writing on the wall and he won't address it." But the strongest comics will.

"I am basically an apologist for America," says Hall, swigging an Old European Becks and drawing on an All American Marlboro Light.

posted by me

:: 7:37:00 PM [+] ::
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:: War news update ::

AUSTRALIA - Gov't Rocked by Resignation of Anti-War Official

CANBERRA (IPS) - The Australian government has been stunned by the resignation of one of its senior intelligence analysts who argue that, based on U.S. and other intelligence information he has seen, there is currently no justification for a war on Iraq.

"I'm convinced a war against Iraq at this time would be wrong. For a start, Iraq does not pose a security threat to the U.S., or to the U.K. or Australia, or to any other country, at this point in time," former Office of National Assessments intelligence analyst Andrew Wilkie said, announcing his resignation.

posted by me

:: 6:48:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Conspiracy theory link of the day ::

For your consideration:
Information about the bombing of Pan Am 103

"The covert operators that I ran with would blow up a 747 with 300 people to kill one person. They are total sociopaths with no conscience whatsoever." — Former Pentagon CID Investigator Gene Wheaton

posted by me

:: 6:25:00 PM [+] ::
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:: from the NOW-WE'RE-TALKING dept. ::

From WorldNetDaily:
Move underway to impeach Bush

Formal efforts are now underway to impeach President Bush over allegations that a pre-emptive strike against Iraq constitutes "high crimes and misdemeanors," Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill, reported today.

A meeting Tuesday reportedly assembled more than two dozen prominent liberal attorneys and legal scholars who mulled over articles of impeachment drafted against President Bush by activists. The two-hour session was said to feature former attorney general-turned-activist Ramsey Clark and took place in the downtown office of a prominent Washington tort lawyer.

Clark first called for impeachment publicly at anti-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and later in San Francisco. He subsequently created the Vote To Impeach website, which warns, "Each of us must take a stand on impeachment now, or bear the burden of having failed to speak in this hour of maximum peril."

posted by me

:: 6:13:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Those who do not remember the past... ::

From Newsweek: Should Louis Jones Die?
By Mark Miller

Although this is ostensibly a story about a veteran convicted of murder, it delves into the isue of Gulf War Syndrome -- a subject that the government needs to be more forthcoming about, particularly now as thouasnds of US troops are poised to again become involved in combat operations inside Iraq.

My Mom used to work with someone who had been exposed to Agent Orange during his service in Vietnam, and at the time she knew him, he was the last person left from his platoon and he was fighting his own battle with cancer. A tragic tale, and I can only hope that we (by we, I mean the US Govt.) have learned some lessons.

RELATED:
First Gulf War left problems unsolved

posted by naive me

:: 4:44:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Freedom... of what? ::

From The Tullahoma News:
Editorial: Freedom of Information at risk

March 16 marks the 37th anniversary of the federal Freedom of Information Act and the birthday of James Madison, author of the First Amendment. As we mark both occasions, we should stop for a second and consider the damage this secretive administration has wrought in two short years to the flow of information to the public.

Even before the disastrous events of Sept. 11, 2001, the American public's right to know about how its government works and what it does was under assault. Much has been said and written about the Bush Administration's post-Sept. 11 clampdown on information, which has vastly expanded the zone of secrecy surrounding the White House, the government's anti-terrorism efforts and even more benign government documents. What is truly tragic about the current administration's love affair with secrecy is that it contradicts decades of governmental policy, yet the Bush Administration has done most of this out of the public's view and without public debate.

posted by me

:: 3:59:00 PM [+] ::
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:: What's so funny about peace, love & understanding? ::

I just turned on the TV to check out who the guest host is tonight on Letterman. OK. On my TV, it's Elvis Costello. Am I hallucinating? This is great!

"Be nice to the British boy. I'm your last ally."

posted by me

:: 10:44:00 PM [+] ::
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:: RE Rumsfeld ::

Rumsfeld 'Loose Cannon' as U.S. Woos Allies on Iraq
Wed March 12, 2003 04:23 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, known for using sharp words about foes and friends alike, is doing U.S. foreign policy more harm than good with comments alienating key allies, analysts said.

"He's his own worst enemy," said Lawrence Korb, the former assistant secretary of defense in the Reagan administration.

"He's a forceful, almost cranky, personality who seems to delight in the press coverage that he's gotten," said Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington.

posted by me

:: 10:40:00 PM [+] ::
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:: ROLLINS! ::

I found the following Henry Rollins quotes at Curlio.com:

In a recent phone conversation with Henry Rollins, the punk rock comic (or "spoken word artist" if you prefer) brings up U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"Some of the sound bites this guy comes up with are just hilarious," Rollins says, "like 'going to war without the French is like going deer hunting without an accordion.' I mean, come on! They call him the shock jock of foreign diplomacy. It's hilarious how this guy is so crass. He is funny. It's gallows humour ... I've often said I wanna open for him when he finally gets to the Sands in Vegas."

AND...

"A woman like Janeane Garofalo is very articulate. She can hold her own. But when you see people like Sheryl Crow on the American Music Awards with a T-shirt that says 'war is bad karma ... like, hey, man, war is, like, bad karma.' Lady, shut up! It's life and death here. It's not bad karma. If you're going to come across as something, have a little bit more wallop to your walk than just saying, 'gosh, it's bad karma.' So some of these people set themselves up to be eviscerated."

posted by me

:: 10:31:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "shallow, obsessive, toxic, lazy, and conformist" ::

No, I'm not working up a description of myself for an online personal ad, ;) this is how the media is characterized in the following article. Check it out.

From Editor & Publisher:
Writers Debate Media Bias, Iraq Coverage
Rants Against Bush, Press That Covers Him
By Ari Berman

What was billed as a debate on media bias featuring three writers (Eric Alterman, Arianna Huffington, and William McGowan) and one celebrity (comedian/actress/antiwar advocate Janeane Garofalo), turned into an animated series of divisive rants on the media's coverage of the Bush administration and Iraq.

Calling the media "shallow, obsessive, toxic, lazy, and conformist," columnist Huffington wondered aloud why the mainstream media hasn't yet held the White House accountable during its march to war. Reacting to Bush's press conference on Thursday, Huffington proclaimed, "Have you ever seen lap dogs behave more obediently? Are they afraid of losing their all-access pass to the White House?"

Garofalo said she had been ridiculed by the media for her antiwar activism and, clearly, it hurt. She blasted conservative talk show hosts for attempting to marginalize the antiwar movement by focusing almost exclusively on celebrities. Just today, Garofalo said, she had to change her phone number after a series of crank calls (she hinted that someone at Fox News had given her number out). And she said the press had a vested interest in going to war. "The press is biased in favor of ratings -- and war is ratings," Garofalo said.

"After the bombs start falling next week no one is going remember a thing said in this room," Garofalo emphasized. "All of our time has been wasted -- this debate is so degrading."

posted by me

:: 10:12:00 PM [+] ::
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:: "Imagine Peace ... Spring 2003" ::

From Yahoo! News:
Yoko Ono Takes Out Peace Ads in U.S. Papers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Thirty-plus years after she and her late husband, John Lennon (news), made headlines with their "Bed-In" protesting the Vietnam War, Yoko Ono (news) is once again calling on the world to give peace a chance.

Ono has taken out a series of full-page advertisements in major newspapers, most recently in Wednesday's edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, with the simple message: "Imagine Peace ... Spring 2003."

The Chronicle said Ono, 70, spent $42,000 on its ad, which was similar to spots that appeared in last week's Los Angeles Times, the L.A. Weekly, and the Village Voice. Her publicist said another will run in the Washington Post this weekend.

In a column published by the Chronicle, Ono wrote that she first initiated a pro-peace ad campaign after the song "Imagine" was "censored by the Clear Channel people," referring to a list of songs the nation's biggest radio chain had suggested that its stations might avoid playing a week after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

posted by me

:: 9:48:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Enemy of the State ::

From nbc4.com:
Surveillance Cameras To Watch Antiwar Rally
Police To Activate Security Cameras This Weekend

WASHINGTON -- Police in the District of Columbia said they plan to activate their surveillance cameras along the route of this weekend's planned antiwar rally.

In addition to using their network of 14 permanent cameras, police officials said they will use as many as nine more cameras along the route.

During the Gulf War, I travelled to DC with a couple of friends to check things out and pick up some decent alternative media publications. The week before, there had been a huge march. The Saturday that we showed up, however -- standing in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House -- we joined a mere handful of others. The funniest thing about it, I thought @ the time, was that this just made it easier for someone to get a clear photo of our ugly mugs. I in fact spied someone taking our pictures. Could have been media. Who knows.

A couple of recollections of the day:

My friends and I parked near the mall, and as we walked toward the White House, I noticed how calm the place was and remarked: "this is the capitol of a nation at war?" My friends -- Marc & Ben -- found this quite amusing. Laughing at,not with, me. But, I take what I can get. ;)

Also, I was accosted by a "patriotic American" on Pennsylvania Avenue for no apparent reason (I didn't wear any kind of unfiorm identifying me as a "peacenik."). Somehow taken off-guard, I was a bit flummoxed, and finally just screamed: "you fucking neandertal!" My friend Andrew gently whispered to me, as I was red-faced: "Cro-Magnon would have been more appropriate."

Thinking back, I'm also reminded of just how much the Internet is taken for granted these days. A big reason for my trip to DC was the fact that I was STARVING for non-mainstream information (I found The Newsroom, near Dupont Circle, to be an invaluable resource). Subsequently, this could explain why I'm obsessed with pasting media links to war-related information whenever I have a spare moment. I was so desperate, in fact, to obtain the text of a great Iraq-related piece run in The UK's Observer (as I recall), that I had to resort to transcribing it from an SF bay area radio broadcast (Dave Emory's One Step Beyond show, then @ KFJC. Recent shows are available online).

posted by me

:: 9:22:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Ground Zero speaks ::

NY City Council Approves Anti-War Resolution

(New York-WABC, March 12, 2003) — If the US does go to war with Iraq, it will be over the objection of the New York City Council. The council approved a resolution Wednesday afternoon, after a cantankerous debate, to oppose a war with Iraq, except as a last resort. New York now joins nearly 140 other cities to oppose a war.

Join the WABC discussion.

posted by me

:: 8:37:00 PM [+] ::
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:: UN SC member states speak ::

From The Washington Post:
In Security Council Countries, the Diplomatic Crunch Hits Home
World Opinion Roundup
By Jefferson Morley
Wednesday, March 12, 2003

As the United Kingdom seeks a second modified U.N. Security Council resolution to disarm Iraq, the online media in most of the member countries are strongly opposed to launching war any time soon. There is also widespread concern that the divisive diplomatic debate will damage relations between the United States and individual member countries.

posted by me

:: 8:20:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Another patriot questions Dubya's war libido ::

I found the following the following Letter to the Editor in my local paper. It's noteworthy, IMHO, because this is a rather conservative area more often than not prone to public displays of jingoism. So, I'm posting this reader's articulate piece here.

From the Cumberland Times-News:
Bush has failed to make case for going to war against Iraq

The Bush administration continues to bang the drums of war in an attempt to draw the American people’s attention away from the worst economy in over 30 years.

The inept Bush administration has failed to find Osama Bin Laden and those who perpetrated the Sept. 11 massacre, and they continue to use Sept. 11 to their advantage as a campaign issue and a public relations coup. The administration has accomplished nothing in the war on terrorism, but continues to use the 9-11 tragedy as a shield to deflect criticism. Without anything to show, “W” has decided that he needs something to hang his hat on in the war on terrorism, and it appears it will be Saddam Hussein’s head.

The Bush administration has failed to show that Saddam Hussein is anything other than a political issue. There is no established tie between Iraq and al-Qaida or any other terrorist groups. There is no evidence that Iraq poses any credible threat to any U.S. citizen. The bellicose (look it up) Republican party and “W” are set on finishing the job that former President Bush was unable to carry out.

Meanwhile, back at home the economy has produced spiraling gas prices that have risen 11 cents in a recent seven day period. Stagnant car sales and home sales continue. There are no new jobs and we just suffered through the worst retail Christmas season in over 30 years. Income for Americans has stalled since 2001, the stock market is a graveyard of former prosperity, money for public education, health care and law enforcement continues to be jeopardized. Maybe Saddam is simply a distraction. Maybe war is the Bush administration’s attempt to boost the economy. It is estimated that a war in Iraq could cost $1 trillion, while at the same time American cities have a shortage of police and rescue workers, the real line of defense against terrorism.

I join the millions of Americans who question the actions of the Bush administration. I join the millions of Americans who are opposed to a war with Iraq. I am opposed to further exposing Americans at home to terrorist attacks created by this unjust war. I refuse to label every brown skinned person a terrorist. I am not opposed to removing Saddam from power. I am opposed to killing innocent men, women and children in Iraq. I want the administration to capture Osama Bin Laden. I am not willing to allow President Bush to use Sept. 11 as a political tool. I refuse to be frightened into supporting war. I will not buy duct tape and plastic. I support our troops, I don’t want them to die. I am not willing to be led blindly by an administration hell bent on war. I love America. I am a patriot.

Jeffrey B. Hedrick, Rawlings, WV

posted by me

:: 8:03:00 PM [+] ::
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:: In other news... ::

From NewScientist.com news service:
Oldest human footprints found on volcano
from the blinded-with-science dept.

Three primitive humans who scrambled down a volcano's slopes more than 325,000 years ago left their footprints fossilised in volcanic ash. If the ages of the trails are confirmed, they could be the earliest known footprints of our Homo ancestors.

Paolo Mietto of Padua University and his colleagues examined three tracks of footprints on the Roccamonfina volcano in southern Italy, known to locals as "devils' trails". "Because they occur in volcanic rock, they have always been considered supernatural," says Mietto.

The scientists say the footprints are fossilised in ash deposited by an eruption that has already been dated as 385,000 to 325,000 years old by radiometric techniques.

posted by me

:: 3:10:00 PM [+] ::
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:: Webb on WAR ON THE WEB ::

From the Washington Post:
Overseas, Internet Is Rallying Point for Antiwar Activists
By Cynthia L. Webb
Wednesday, March 12, 2003; 10:20 AM

The Internet has proven a valuable tool for Americans opposed to a U.S. war against Iraq, but it's overseas that antiwar protesters are making the most of cyberspace, with activists from Europe to Australia going online to create a transnational push for peace.

Links galore included.

posted by me

:: 10:44:00 AM [+] ::
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