tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83551062024-03-13T11:46:18.263-05:00Section 31Searching out and identifying potential dangers to America...quietly.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1109366656646660262005-02-25T16:12:00.000-05:002005-02-25T16:24:16.650-05:00ABC Learns a LessonNow <a href="http://www.southflorida.com/movies/sfl-ufoshowfeb24%2C0%2C7495250.story?coll=sfe-tv-headlines">this</a> is what I call progress: after two years of almost nonstop excoriation of Bush and the Iraq conflict, ABC decides to run a two hour special on...wait for it...UFOs!<br /><blockquote>Flying saucers and strange beings who have visited Earth aren't the typical topics reported by Peter Jennings, anchor of ABC's World News Tonight. Jennings, whose new two-hour special tackles the subject of UFOs, admits he and his production team began the project with doubts and a dose of curiosity.<br /><br />"We have a lot of skeptics -- I am very skeptical -- but we seriously investigated something a lot of people are serious about," he said. "And when we come to the end, this is wonderfully interesting.<br /><br />Executive producer Tom Yellin said the UFO field is "a risky thing to report since it doesn't go with the conventional wisdom that this stuff is kind of silly, and the whole subject has been tainted by the brush of wackiness."<br /><br />Like Jennings, Yellin initially had reservations about devoting a program to UFOs. "I thought it was all a bunch of baloney. <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Even though it has public appeal, you don't want to do something that subjects you to ridicule just to get a rating</span>."</blockquote>Unless, of course, you are Dan Rather and Andrew Hayward. But then, in their case CBS wasn't after ratings, they were after Bush's presidency. Perhaps ABC has learned a lesson from Rather and CBS: better to stick to safe stories like UFO sightings, than fake stories like the National Guard memos.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1109256789476613212005-02-24T09:37:00.000-05:002005-02-24T09:53:09.476-05:00Now they've done it...Now we discover that the terrorists have made a HUGE <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/world/20050224-122354-9877r.htm">mistake</a>:<br /><blockquote>BAGHDAD -- Iraqi state television aired a video yesterday showing what the U.S.-funded channel said was the confession of a captured Syrian officer, who said he trained Iraqi terrorists to behead people and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">He also said the terrorists practiced beheading animals to train for decapitating hostages.</span></blockquote>Oh, it's on now. Someone call PETA! I mean, I can understand the need to practice your jihad skills in order to butcher Western infidels, but those poor animals were innocent! This is immoral! This inhumane treatment must cease! This kind of brutality cannot be tolerated! The terrorists will rue the day that they crossed the Left like this!<br /><br />*crickets chirping*<br /><br />Or perhaps not. But the terrorists better watch their step...the first time they test skincare products on those animals, it's on! Just wait and see!The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1109213415201432932005-02-23T20:58:00.000-05:002005-02-23T21:50:15.206-05:00Site Traffic and the Real Section 31As some of you may know, I have been less than prolific in posting recently, due to real life issues. Imagine my surprise then, when over the past week my daily site traffic has doubled. I have been getting a whole slew of Google refers from searches for "Section 31," enough to where this blog is now the number 2 Google site referred by those search terms. I suspect that this may have something to do with the recent cancellation of UPN's <span style="font-style: italic;">Enterprise</span>, the most recent series in the Star Trek franchise. Unfortunately, I haven't followed the series as closely as I would have liked, due to the lack of a local UPN station, but apparently the series in its waning episodes is going to establish the very beginnings of Section 31 in the Star Trek timeline. A detailed history of Section 31 can be found <a href="http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Section_31">here</a>.<br /><br />The concept of Section 31 has intrigued me ever since it was introduced. There is a fascinating dichotomy at work here; an organization that exists to protect a set of noble ideals does so by means that at times violate those same ideals. For some in the Star Trek universe, the idea is unacceptable. For them, the existence of Section 31 is repugnant to the most basic principles of Federation culture.<br /><br />But the members of Section 31 see things a little differently. They are committed to the same noble principles as the rest of the Federation. However, they realize that against some dangers more extreme measures must be taken than their principles would normally allow. In effect, Section 31 sacrifices the thing it is sworn to protect, in order to safeguard it for others.<br /><br />Will the United States ever find itself in a similar situation? Are there dangers in this world great enough to require the bending, or even the breaking of our ideals in the short term, to ensure that those ideals survive in the long term? I have asked variations of this question <a href="http://section-31.blogspot.com/2005/01/ends-and-means.html">previously</a> regarding the issue of torturing terrorists. The North Korean declaration of its nuclear capabilities, the Iranian rush to nuclear status, and the recent assassination plot against President Bush have all caused me to ponder once again the dangers facing our country, and the lengths to which our people are prepared to go in order to defend against them.<br /><br />It may be that the dangers we face will in fact require action that many will condemn, perhaps action that even I will condemn. If that day comes, I may not be able to disagree with those who cry out against the violation of sacred national principles. But even if I join in the outcry against "extreme measures," I suspect that deep inside, there will be a part of me that is thankful that someone else has sacrificed to keep me safe while I condemn them for their methods. Could it be that our culture needs <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">both</span></span> groups of people, one to protect against external threats, the other to protect against the first group itself? Food for thought.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1109106316319225942005-02-22T15:51:00.000-05:002005-02-22T16:05:16.323-05:00Terrorists in AmericaThey are here, and they want to kill us. I can't wait to see the details from <a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050222/D88DLA5G0.html">this case</a><a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050222/D88DLA5G0.html"></a>:<br /><blockquote>ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network.<br /><br />Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, a U.S. citizen, made an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court but did not enter a plea. He claimed that he was tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia since June of 2003 and offered through his lawyer to show the judge his scars.<br /><br />The federal indictment said that in 2002 and 2003 Abu Ali and an unidentified co-conspirator discussed plans for Abu Ali to assassinate Bush. They discussed two scenarios, the indictment said, one in which Abu Ali "would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street" and, alternatively, "an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb."<br /><br />According to the indictment, Abu Ali obtained a religious blessing from another unidentified co-conspirator to assassinate the president.<br /><br />More than 100 supporters of Abu Ali crowded the courtroom and laughed when the charge was read aloud alleging that he conspired to assassinate Bush.</blockquote>The indictment means that federal grand jury thinks that there is probable cause that the defendant committed the crimes he is charged with. The fact that he is actually being charged, and not just held for questioning, suggests to me that investigators have rounded up as many "unidentified co-conspirators" as they will be able to. Hopefully some useful intelligence was gleaned from the defendants before their arrest. Look for defense counsel to try to create a media circus over the torture issue, which should be absolutely irrelevant with respect to a plot concocted in Virginia to assassinate the President.<br /><br />I wonder if Bush will continue to mouth the stale old "Religion of Peace" platitudes. Probably. It really has reached the morbidly humorous stage at this point. Muslims plot murder and mayhem in the name of Allah, but we are told time and again to overlook the behavior of "a radical minority." Sorry, but I refuse to overlook the consistent religious sanction of indiscriminate (and in this case, discriminate) murder. Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1109104863532828052005-02-22T15:33:00.000-05:002005-02-22T15:41:03.533-05:00Washington's BirthdayPowerline has <a href="http://powerlineblog.com/archives/2005_02.php#009640">this</a> great post on the occasion of Washington's Birthday (now known as President's Day). It bears remembering how critical Washington's unifying presence was during the formation of our country. The correspondence between Washington and the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island is a wonderful example of the near universal esteem and admiration that Washington had from his countrymen. It's unfortunate that most children today will never learn of Washington's true character, but will instead read only that he was just another oppressive white male slaveowner.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1108569455482942992005-02-16T10:51:00.000-05:002005-02-16T10:57:35.483-05:00Positive DevelopmentsI had a very good interview yesterday with a local firm. It is currently a three-person firm, with two partners and one associate. The firm is a general civil litigation firm working for primarily private and individual clients. That would be a nice change from working for insurance companies. They also seemed much more accepting of my salary requirements than I thought a smaller firm would be. The senior partner will get back with me, so hopefully something good will come of the interview.<br /><br />There are also some other options that may be popping up involving independent contracting and consulting. All in all, I feel much better about life today than I did a week ago. Isn't that usually how it goes though?The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1108240938018204552005-02-12T15:37:00.000-05:002005-02-12T15:42:18.020-05:00Blown CoverWell, the Director's cover job has been blown, so my efforts now have to focus on developing a new cover. If I can, I'll continue with the attorney cover, but I am considering other alternatives as well. I'll report in with any developments along those lines.The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1107307393692487602005-02-01T20:07:00.000-05:002005-02-01T20:23:13.693-05:00New LinkageI have added a number of new sites to the Section 31 sidebar, some of them well-known, others not. Fellow Tennessean Donald Sensing makes the list of Field Operatives with <a href="http://donaldsensing.com">One Hand Clapping</a>, while <a href="http://counterterror.typepad.com/the_counterterrorism_blog/">The Counterterrorism Blog</a> joins the Raw Intel Processing department. <a href="http://americanol.blogspot.com">American Online</a> proves to be a fascinating new Informant, while Section 31's New Assets nearly double, adding to their ranks <a href="http://dennisramblings.blogspot.com/">Dennis' Ramblings</a>, <a href="http://johnmccrarey.com/">Long Time Gone</a>, <a href="http://macbird.blogspot.com/">Macaroni Penguin</a> (she gets two plugs this month!), <a href="http://movermike.blogspot.com/">Mover Mike</a>, <a href="http://madtechspeaks.blogspot.com/">Ravings of a Mad Tech</a>, and <a href="http://varifrank.com/">Varifrank</a>. I would especially like to direct your attention to <a href="http://varifrank.com/archives/2005/01/today_the_booge_1.php">Varifrank's post regarding the Iraqi elections</a>. This piece really resonated with me, providing a wonderful historical context to the momentous occasion that the Iraqi election really was. Highly recommended!
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<br />Just because the Director is quiet doesn't mean he isn't out there in the shadows working for his readers! Enjoy the new sites.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1107149116825993752005-01-31T01:19:00.000-05:002005-01-31T00:25:16.826-05:00To the Iraqi People...Breathe the free air. Welcome to democracy. Some said you couldn't handle it. Some said you didn't want it. Some tried to kill you to prevent your taking it. You proved them all wrong. Remember this election, this day, this time in history. There will be hard times ahead, but if you keep your course steady, you will weather all storms. Godspeed.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1106753985994264962005-01-26T10:15:00.000-05:002005-01-26T10:39:45.993-05:00Personal MattersThere are many different types of blogs out there. Probably the most common type is the "personal" blog, where individuals post about what goes on in their day-to-day life. When I created this blog, I never wanted it to become a "personal" blog. As befits my position as Director of Section 31, I am a very private individual. I rarely air personal problems even to close friends, much less to anonymous readers on the internet. However, I do feel some obligation to those who read this site regularly, to let them know why they haven't seen much new material recently.
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<br />The short version is that I feel emotionally and mentally drained right now. I've been feeling this way for the past three months or so. I have some pre-existing high blood pressure issues that may be affecting this, in conjunction with some of the medicine I take to control it. There may be some other physiological factors involved as well, and I am following up with my cardiologist to find out. These physical issues are interacting with my very high-stress job, leaving me drained at the end of every day.
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<br />The result has been that I haven't been capable of posting anything that would meet my personal standards. I've had some ideas about posts I would like to make, but I haven't had the will or concentration to make them. I don't like this situation, and I want it to change, but for now, it is what it is. This is why I look with amazement at someone like <a href="http://clarityandresolve.com">Patrick</a>, who makes so many very detailed and thoughtful posts every day, and wonder how he does it when I can't even muster enough creative juice for more than a couple of posts a week.
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<br />So this post is for those of you who stop by regularly and wonder when exactly you are going to read something new or interesting from me. At this point, I really don't know. If the mood strikes me, I'll post. But I wanted you to know why the mood hasn't struck me in quite some time. Hopefully, there will be changes in the next month or so that improve the situation. I am optimistic that the doctor will help me with the physical issues, and there are some potential changes on the job front that could improve things as well. Until then, I still plan to visit and comment on other websites regularly. I hope that most of you will still be around when I find my voice again. Thanks for reading!
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1106252260879693762005-01-20T15:10:00.000-05:002005-01-20T15:17:40.880-05:00Patrick GraduatesCongratulations to Patrick of <a href="http://clarityandresolve.com">Clarity and Resolve</a>, whose hard work and constant posting on events in the Islamofascist world have earned him a promotion from New Asset to full-fledged Field Operative. This man has so many detailed reports on enemy movements on his blog that I suspect he is either, a) a highly advanced android, b) from a pocket dimension that has 32 hours in a day, c) in big trouble at work for excessive internet use, or d) all of the above. Go ye, therefore, to read and be informed.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1106243348322606492005-01-20T13:46:00.000-05:002005-01-20T12:49:08.323-05:00Four More YearsThe left can commence with its collective heart attack, right about... <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/01/20050120-1.html">now</a>.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1106000626522036502005-01-17T17:16:00.000-05:002005-01-17T17:23:46.523-05:00A New NoodleA warm welcome to <a href="http://promn.blogspot.com">Noodles'</a> better half, the <a href="http://macbird.blogspot.com">Macaroni Penguin</a>. Since she is looking for new topics to blog about, I humbly propose that she address the burning question going on over at Ruth's place: <a href="http://awesomegirl.typepad.com/freudian_slippers/2005/01/the_tragedy_of_.html">Why are nice guys unlucky at love?</a> Given her relationship to the aforementioned Noodles, perhaps she can put the lie to that myth once and for all. Good luck to you on your new venture!
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105680982044904472005-01-13T22:37:00.000-05:002005-01-14T23:24:33.696-05:00The next battle in WW IVNorman Podhoretz wrote what I consider to be the seminal explanation of the current conflict between America and the forces of Islamic fundamentalism, calling it <a href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/podhoretz.htm">World War IV</a><a href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/podhoretz.htm"></a>. He has now written <a href="http://www.commentarymagazine.com/special/A11902025_1.html">a followup essay</a> on the next phase in the war. Take an hour or so out of your day and read the whole thing. Podhoretz argues that the primary enemy in this phase of the war is not the Islamists, but their intellectual and elitist allies here in America:
<br /><blockquote>But the most important thing the insurgents and their backers in the neighboring despotisms know is that the battle for Iraq will not be won or lost in Iraq; it will be won or lost in the United States of America. On this they agree entirely with General John Abizaid, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, who recently told reporters touring Iraq: "It is all about staying the course. No military effort that anyone can make against us is going to be able to throw us out of this region." Is it any wonder, then, that the insurgents were praying for the victory of John F. Kerry—which they all assumed would mean an American withdrawal—or that the reelection of Bush—which they were not fooled by any exit polls into interpreting as anything other than a ratification of the Bush Doctrine—came as such a great blow to them? <p>But too much is at stake in Iraq for them to give up now, especially as they are confident that they still have an excellent shot at getting the American public to conclude that the game is not worth the candle. General Abizaid again: "We have nothing to fear from this enemy except its ability to create panic . . . and gain a media victory." To achieve this species of victory—and perhaps inspired by the strategy that worked so well for the North Vietnamese—they are counting on the forces opposing the Bush Doctrine at home. These forces comprise just as motley a coalition as the one fighting in Iraq, and they are, after their own fashion, just as desperate. For they too understand how much they for their own part stand to lose if the Bush Doctrine is ever generally judged to have passed the great test to which it has been put in Iraq.</p> </blockquote> <p>Our ability to win this coming phase of the war will depend on the will and perseverence of the American people. Are we resolved to win this war, no matter the cost? Podhoretz looks at the 61 million votes cast for Bush in the election, and opines in the affirmative:
<br /></p> <p></p> <blockquote> <p>Before we entered World War II, serious doubts were raised as to whether we were a match for such disciplined and fanatical enemies as Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. And in World War III, leading anti-Communists like Whittaker Chambers and James Burnham were sure that we lacked the stomach, the heart, the will, and the wit to stand effectively against the Soviet Union and its allies and sympathizers: to Chambers we were "the losing side," and to Burnham we were veritably suicidal in our weakness and folly. They turned out to be wrong because, as Charles Horner of the Hudson Institute once put it in speaking of Chambers, they, and not they alone, failed "to anticipate the resiliency of the American citizenry and its leadership." Today similar doubts and fears are once again all over the place, with even some of my fellow supporters of the Bush Doctrine murmuring that we have all grown too soft, too self-indulgent, and too self-absorbed to meet yet another daunting challenge.</p> <p>Except for an occasional twinge brought on by paying too much attention to the antiwar forces, and to certain aspects of our culture, both low and high, I did not share these doubts and fears before the verdict of November 2, and they have been quite banished by what I am persuaded the American people were saying when they voted to keep George W. Bush in the White House for another four years.</p> </blockquote> <p>I tend to agree. Bush is waiting for the Iraqi elections on January 30. I predict within 30-45 days of the elections there will be an aggressive new policy stated regarding either Syria or Iran, more likely Syria. Watch for implementation of the so-called "Salvador Plan" of targeted assassinations of terrorist leaders in Syria. For those who think Bush is going to go soft in his second term, I suspect you will have a rude surprise in store for you.
<br /></p> <p>UPDATE: <a href="http://promn.blogspot.com">Noodles</a> pulls off a hat trick by <a href="http://promn.blogspot.com/2005/01/encouraging-terrorism.html">referencing</a> this post, giving a salient example of how the STrib is performing exactly as Podhoretz predicted, and giving me a chance to test my trackbacks, all at the same time. What a guy!
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<br /></p>The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105402574310102962005-01-10T18:25:00.000-05:002005-01-10T19:28:15.390-05:00The Rathergate ReportMonths, not days or weeks after the scandal broke, the "Independent Review Panel" report on Rathergate has been issued. The full text of the document may be found in PDF form <a href="http://cbsnews.com/forward/wwwimage.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/complete_report/CBS_Report.pdf">here</a>. Four CBS execs have lost their jobs as a result of the report. These four are sacrificial lambs. There are only two things you need to take away from the 224 page report. First, as to the authenticity of the forged documents (from page 18 of the report):
<br /><blockquote>F. Authenticity of the Killian Documents
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<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Panel was not able to reach a definitive conclusion as to the authenticity of the Killian documents.</span> However, Mapes made oral and written presentations to the Panel during its investigation in an effort to demonstrate that the content of the Killian documents was in fact authentic. These presentations were done primarily by comparing the Killian documents with official Bush records to show how well she believed that the Killian documents “meshed” with the official Bush records.
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<br />The Panel finds that the meshing analysis submitted by Mapes does not withstand scrutiny for two reasons. First, in many instances, the content of the Killian documents does not mesh well substantively with the official Bush records. Second, the Killian documents vary in significant ways from the standard format and jargon of documents issued by the 147 th Fighter Interceptor Group in the early 1970s. Thus, the Panel believes that there remain substantial questions regarding the authenticity of the Killian documents. The Panel believes that careful reporting prior to airing the Segment should have identified these questions and, at a minimum, should have delayed the broadcast so that more reporting could be conducted. </blockquote>Translation: The documents are fake but accurate. Mapes should have spent more time making sure that the forgeries wouldn't be detected.
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<br />Second, on CBS's political agenda (from page 28 of the report):
<br /><blockquote>H. Political Agenda
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<br />The Panel is aware that some have ascribed political motivations to 60 Minutes Wednesday’s decision to air the September 8 Segment just two months before the presidential election, while others further found political bias in the program itself. The Panel reviewed this issue and found certain actions that could support such charges. However, <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">the Panel cannot conclude that a political agenda at 60 Minutes Wednesday drove either the timing of the airing of the Segment or its content.</span>
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<br />Given that the Panel does not believe that political motivations drove the September 8 Segment, questions likely will be raised as to why these massive breakdowns occurred on this story at an organization like CBS News with its heritage and stated commitment to the highest standards of journalism. The Panel heard from many that the Rather/Mapes team was a formidable force at 60 Minutes Wednesday. Great trust was placed in Mapes, a highly respected producer who had just produced a widely acclaimed segment on the Abu Ghraib prison abuses, and vast deference was given to Rather, the “face” of CBS News. These factors, along with the “crash” of the production, contributed greatly to the failures of the September 8 Segment and the Aftermath.</blockquote>Translation: Everyone we talked to at CBS assured us they didn't have a political agenda, and that's good enough for us.
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<br />This result is unsurprising, but still disappointing. Glenn Reynolds says "<a href="http://instapundit.com/archives/020359.php">Indeed</a>" to Soxblog's <a href="http://dbsoxblog.blogspot.com/#110537437399869283">comment</a> that "The Report lays out the facts and those alone are damning enough." Sure, the facts are plenty damning, but we already HAD the facts. Based on my admittedly Mapes-like review of the Report (I've only skimmed it at this point), there's nothing in these 224 pages that we haven't already heard from the <a href="http://powerlineblog.com/">Powerline</a> boys or <a href="http://ratherbiased.com/">RatherBiased</a>. So what good IS the report if it tells us nothing new and refuses to say what everyone already knows?
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<br />Answer: Not much. CBS has made its token firings, <a href="http://www.rathergate.com/index.php?p=454">Dan Rather continues to vouch for the documents</a>, the Panel tells CBS to "be more careful next time." Business as usual.
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<br />In my opinion, the biggest impact of the Report will be to only increase the derision that has already been rightfully heaped upon that moribund organization. What the American people needed was an acknowledgment of what they already knew was wrong. What they got was 224 additional pages of denial. Just one more bad move in a whole litany of bad moves.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105397523169483432005-01-10T17:43:00.000-05:002005-01-10T17:52:03.170-05:00Increased Traffic StrategyRuth over at <a href="http://awesomegirl.typepad.com/">Freudian Slippers</a> seems to get a never-ending stream of traffic all based on the lovely picture at the top of her site. Newsflash: that's actress Vivien Leigh, who's been dead since 1967. However, since Ruth seems to get a goodly amount of traffic because of that picture, I'm making the following post:
<br /><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/60733794@N00/3210779/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://photos3.flickr.com/3210779_4bdb9814fc.jpg" alt="Cary Grant" height="326" width="258" /></a></p>
<br />I'm not claiming this is my picture, and I can't confirm it's actually actor Cary Grant, but then again, neither will I deny those claims. Let the traffic hits commence!The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105127125683040452005-01-07T14:23:00.000-05:002005-01-07T14:47:09.723-05:00Killing Terrorism from 1,000 YardsNow this is some <a href="http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/81846E3645B6298285256F7D006744CD">very nice shooting</a> (hat tip to <a href="http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/05_01_02_corner-archive.asp#049715">The Corner</a>).
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105119395626985052005-01-07T13:24:00.000-05:002005-01-07T12:36:35.626-05:00How Tied Are Our Hands?<a href="http://www.city-journal.org/html/15_1_terroists.html">This</a> article by Heather MacDonald is a must read on the torture debate. In light of the media and liberal blather regarding our supposedly inhumane treatment of terrorist prisoners, you will be surprised at how restrained our interrogators actually are:
<br /><blockquote>Around the first anniversary of 9/11, urgency to get information on al-Qaida grew. Finally, army officials at Guantánamo prepared a legal analysis of their interrogation options and requested permission from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to use various stress techniques on Kahtani. Their memo, sent up the bureaucratic chain on October 11, 2002, triggered a fierce six-month struggle in Washington among military lawyers, administration officials, and Pentagon chiefs about interrogation in the war on terror. <p>To read the techniques requested is to understand how restrained the military has been in its approach to terror detainees—and how utterly false the torture narrative has been. Here’s what the interrogators assumed they could not do without clearance from the secretary of defense: yell at detainees (though never in their ears), use deception (such as posing as Saudi intelligence agents), and put detainees on MREs (meals ready to eat—vacuum-sealed food pouches eaten by millions of soldiers, as well as vacationing backpackers) instead of hot rations. The interrogators promised that this dangerous dietary measure would be used only <i>in extremis</i>, pending local approval and special training.</p> <p>The most controversial technique approved was “mild, non-injurious physical contact such as grabbing, poking in the chest with the finger, and light pushing,” to be reserved only for a “very small percentage of the most uncooperative detainees” believed to possess critical intelligence. A detainee could be poked only after review by Gitmo’s commanding general of intelligence and the commander of the U.S. Southern Command in Miami, and only pursuant to “careful coordination” and monitoring.</p> </blockquote> <p></p> Read the entire article. This situation is ridiculous and untenable. We do not retain the moral high ground when we allow murdering butchers to laugh in our faces while American lives are at stake. In fact, we cede the moral high ground when we refuse to effectively respond to the actions of our enemies.
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<br />If we want to get serious about obtaining critical intelligence from terrorist prisoners, we have got to give our interrogators the ability to make these people talk. If the terrorists know that our interrogators have no credible threat of coercion, then our ability to collect actionable intelligence is completely hamstrung.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1105077582138453512005-01-06T23:08:00.000-05:002005-01-07T01:01:18.610-05:00The Ends and the MeansThe Senate confirmation hearings on Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales have brought to the forefront the question of what the American position on interrogation and even torture of terrorist detainees should be. I would paint the question even more broadly: what means are justified by the end, namely, decisively defeating Islamic terrorism? Can the United States achieve this end using the limited means we have imposed on ourselves since Vietnam?
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<br />Wretchard has a very insightful <a href="http://belmontclub.blogspot.com/2005/01/grand-inquisitor-at-one-level-debate.html">post</a> on the nature of the debate. He concludes with this observation:
<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">We ought to be manly enough to authorize the use of a certain amount force on terrorist suspects, but only to the degree consistent with our deepest national values. To strike a balance between the need to maintain certain principles without paying too much for it in terms of military advantage; remembering what cost in blood must be paid for keeping the national conscience clean. It is a cup that will not pass away. We will be called to account not only for our management of captives but also for whether we allowed them to kill the innocent while they grinned insolently before us. Both the tortured prisoner and the child blown to pieces by a terrorist bomb will accuse us on the Last Day. About the only thing we can do is our best. But there is no weaseling out, no escape from choice.</blockquote>So what means can we use against terrorists while at the same time keeping our national conscience clean? What if the means required for victory cannot keep our national conscience clean? Can our country live with a guilty national conscience?
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Deep Space Nine</span> is by far my favorite of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Trek</span> franchises. The stories were bigger, with more meaning than the average <span style="font-style: italic;">TOS</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">TNG</span> episode (<span style="font-style: italic;">TOS = The Original Series</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">TNG = The Next Generation</span>). The characters were more real, responding to serious situations more like actual people and not cardboard cutouts. And in retrospect, <span style="font-style: italic;">DS9</span> had many episodes within its classic Dominion War storyline that appear startlingly prescient today during the war against the Islamists.
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<br />For your consideration: the season 6 episode <span style="font-style: italic;">In the Pale Moonlight</span>. I highly recommend reading <a href="http://www.st-hypertext.com/ds9-6/moonlight.html">this</a> review of the episode by Jamahl Epsicokhan to appreciate the context of the discussion. In brief, Captain Benjamin Sisko is faced with an untenable situation. The Federation is losing the war against the Dominion. As one character tells Sisko,
<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Time is definitely not on your side. The Dominion shipyards are operating at one hundred percent capacity. Yours are still being rebuilt. The Dominion is breeding legions of Jem'Hadar soldiers every day. You are experiencing manpower shortage. But most important, the Dominion is resolved, to win the war at any cost. You and I both know the Federation has already put out peace feelers.</blockquote>Sisko proceeds to resolve himself and set in motion a chain of events that brings the Romulan Empire into the war against the Dominion, turning the tide of imminent defeat. But along the way, he makes choices and takes actions that he finds morally unacceptable. He lies, cheats, bribes men to cover the crimes of other men, and is even an accessory to murder. When he confronts the Cardassian tailor/spy Garak about these events, Garak puts things in perspective:
<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Well, it worked. And you'll get what you want, a war between the Romulans and the Dominion. And if your conscience is bothering you, you should soothe it with the knowledge that you may have just saved the entire Alpha Quadrant, and all it cost was the life of one Romulan senator, one criminal, and the self-respect of one Starfleet officer. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a bargain.</blockquote>The very harsh and unpleasant fact is that in this world of ours we are occasionally faced with the choice between the lesser of two evils. The question is whether we are resolved to make the choice that results in the lesser evil, even if we don't like that choice.
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<br />For my part, I do not believe we are at the juncture where we must choose the lesser of two evils. You may hear much from the media and the talking heads about how torture and interrogation are anathema to the American national character. This is absolutely not true. America does not torture or abuse its enemies in war, <span style="font-style: italic;">unless our enemies do so first.</span> This is one of the essential elements of the Jacksonian heritage of our country. We fight by the rules when our opponents do, and we treat them with dignity so long as they do the same to us. However, when the rules of battle are violated, the gloves come off. One of the rules of battle which is central to the American idea of honorable combat is the targeting and brutal treatment and murder of civilians. The last group I can think of who purposely attacked and brutalized American civilians were the American Indian tribes. In response, their entire civilization was just short of exterminated.
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<br />I am not arguing here that we should exterminate Arab or Islamic culture. But it is important to recognize the true nature of American character and its historical response when faced with enemies who do not "play by the rules." In this context, torture and extreme interrogation methods are not inconsistent with the American character. If anything, our extremely measured response to the savagery exhibited by the Islamists has been <span style="font-style: italic;">out</span> of character for America. And, I submit, as long as America continues to act out of its character, the behavior of the enemy will continue, and grow even more savage.
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<br />So it's time for the Director to go on record: what do I think is acceptable conduct towards terrorist prisoners? Assuming the terrorists are not American citizens, here is what I think:
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<br />1. Terrorists are not entitled to the protections of the U.S. Constitution.
<br />2. Terrorists are not entitled to the protections of the Geneva Convention.
<br />3. The goal of interrogation should be obtaining useful intelligence, and any means of interrogation should be used with this in mind.
<br />4. Sexual assault or abuse of terrorists should not be permitted.
<br />4. Subject to 3 and 4, any form of indirect non-physical coercion may be used (eg, loud music).
<br />5. Subject to 3 and 4, any form of indirect physical coercion may be used (eg, standing for long periods of time).
<br />6. Subject to 3 and 4, direct physical coercion may be used so long as permanent injury is not inflicted.
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<br />Given our enemy's conduct up to this point in WWIV, I believe that they have earned this response, at the very least. As Wretchard pointed out, "torture is the act of substituting the torment of one person for another; the suffering of a suspect to prevent the suffering of the presumed victim." If loud music, small spaces, humiliation, and a beating or two can save the life of an American soldier or civilian, I believe the American national conscience can live with that.
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<br />More importantly, I believe the American national conscience <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> live with that. I'd call it a bargain. The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1104896849774932662005-01-04T22:44:00.000-05:002005-01-04T22:47:29.776-05:00Return to Active DutyThe logic board is replaced, and the G5 Command Center is back up and running. Thanks to all who dropped by in the interim. I hope a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year was had by all. It's nice to be back online again, here in 2005!
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1103667437196896972004-12-21T17:12:00.000-05:002004-12-21T17:17:17.196-05:00Structural Integrity Fields are Collapsing!Well, it turns out that the Section 31 iMac G5 command center needs a logic board replacement, so I'm back in the old Powerbook G3. The one good thing is that DSL makes posting tenable, if not quite as efficient. Repairs should be effected by January 5 (knock on wood), but I will try to stay active on the antique. Carry on!The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1103260654907060152004-12-17T01:03:00.000-05:002004-12-17T00:18:50.700-05:00Reality CheckHave you ever noticed how liberals and leftists just can't accept reality when reality conflicts with their own warped worldview? Here's another great example, <a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041217/D871536O0.html">from Ohio</a>:
<br /><blockquote>The Ohio Supreme Court's chief justice on Thursday threw out a challenge to the state's presidential election results.
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<br />Chief Justice Thomas Moyer ruled that the request improperly challenged two separate election results. Ohio law only allows one race to be challenged in a single complaint, he said.
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<br />The challenge was backed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Cliff Arnebeck, a Columbus attorney for the Massachusetts-based Alliance for Democracy, who accused Bush's campaign of "high-tech vote stealing."
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<br />Claiming fraud, the voters cited reports of voting-machine errors, double-counting of ballots and a shortage of voting machines in predominantly minority precincts as reasons to throw out the results.
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The complaint questioned how the actual results could show Bush winning when exit-poll interview findings on election night indicated that Kerry would win 52 percent of Ohio's presidential vote.</span>
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<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Without listing specific evidence, the complaint alleges that 130,656 votes for Kerry and John Edwards in 36 counties were somehow switched to count for the Bush-Cheney ticket.</span></blockquote>It's all so simple! The <span style="font-style: italic;">actual</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>results can't be right, because the exit polls had John Kerry winning! So the <span style="font-style: italic;">obvious</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>course of action is to take the <span style="font-style: italic;">actual</span> votes for Bush and grant them to Kerry! Because the exit polls are what our elections are decided by! At least when they show the liberal candidate ahead. Really, I do not know why there even needs to be a lawsuit, it should all be so clear to everyone!
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<br />I would suggest that someone please find a bucket of cold water and wake these liberals up, but I don't think they make a bucket that big. And besides, why stop the Democrats from driving themselves further and further into the political wilderness?
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1103225101506556522004-12-16T14:15:00.000-05:002004-12-16T14:25:01.506-05:002,000 hitsA small milestone for my inconspicuous little corner of the blogosphere, reached at 1:36:24 P.M., EDT. Thanks to all! I hope you are still around for 5,000 (that is, if I ever get there!).
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1103162219069962532004-12-15T20:26:00.000-05:002004-12-15T20:56:59.070-05:00Vox Blogoli VIHugh Hewitt <a href="http://hughhewitt.com/#postid1179">asks</a> the blogosphere to comment on the MSM's credibility with regard to matters of faith and history, specifically in response to <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6653824/site/newsweek/">this</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> article about the birth of Christ. Hugh ponders whether this article represents the Rathergate of religion reporting, and marvels at the bias in the piece.
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<br />Why so shocked, Hugh? The anti-Christian bias in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span> piece is nothing new to the MSM. In fact, it is pretty much a re-hash of Jesus Seminar talking points from the past thirty years. Is it bias? Of course it is, but it is just more of the same, and not at all unexpected from a notoriously liberal source like <span style="font-style: italic;">Newsweek</span>.
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<br />While the liberal bias is clear, I don't believe that the comparison to Rathergate is entirely accurate. Jon Meacham uses real people as his sources, even though these people are all liberals with an agenda. That's not the same thing as fabricating a story out of wholecloth. This article doesn't surprise me at all, it's just one more biased article from a source that I expect to be biased.
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8355106.post-1102997415075734182004-12-13T22:57:00.000-05:002004-12-13T23:10:15.076-05:00Peterson to DieThe jury came back with <a href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041213/D86V12UO3.html">the death penalty for convicted wife and child murderer Scott Peterson</a>. It will probably be decades before the penalty is carried out, if ever, but at least the ordeal is over, for Laci Peterson's family, and for the rest of us who had to sit through the endless media coverage. The sad fact is that murders like these happen all the time. In my mind, only one thing made this case worthy of note, when all was said and done: the humanization of Connor Peterson, Scott and Laci's unborn child. After 30 years of legalized abortion in America, of endless efforts to turn an unborn baby into "a choice", a murdered unborn child was given a name, and the "what ifs" of the life that could have been were explored and discussed across the country. I hope that the process sparked more than just a passing thought. If Connor deserved more than a passing thought, what about the rest of the unborn children whose names we don't hear day in and day out?
<br />The Directorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01590956981341245926noreply@blogger.com4