Monthly archives for November, 2008
Written by Letter to Michael Moore
Written by Dear Michael Moore,
I remember first encountering your name when I watched Bowling for Columbine for the first time. I thought to myself, “Wow! This guy makes you think!” Fast forward to 2004, when I encounter your name again when you decided to release Fahrenheit 9/11. It appeared to be fairly provocative at the time. Due to that film and your name, I encountered another film and another name.
US has no right to self-defence against Pakistan
Coming to the most crucial question whether the United States is entitled to claim any right to self-defence against Pakistan or to the contrary its missile attacks constitute an outright violation of our territorial integrity and political sovereignty.
The answer to this question almost entirely turns upon whether the US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan has been justified under the UN Charter and International Law, and whether the US sponsored and propped up Karzai regime has been legitimate enough to represent the will of the Afghan people. If either the US presence in Pakistan or Karzai’s regime is unlawful and illegitimate under the UN Charter, the Islamic militants engaged in supporting their Afghan brethren in resisting this unlawful occupation and the illegitimate Karzai regime cannot be condemned as terrorist or even as intruders.
Ann Coulter’s Jaw is Wired Shut
Ann Coulter, among the most loud-mouthed of conservative pundits, broke her jaw in a fall and now she can’t talk for a few weeks. This is all supposed to be so funny. But is it?
My long-time reaction toward Ann Coulter was that most everyone, conservative and liberal alike, realized she was a joke. But then last year she visited my hometown of Saginaw, Mich., and she was taken at face value. The hometown newspaper featured Ann Coulter as a legitimate conservative commentator, the same as they might have covered George Will, let’s say, or David Gergen. So did the TV and radio stations.
Apparently Ann Coulter did not say anything super-crazy during her Saginaw visit. Her remarks were the usual stuff about patriotic conservatives. None of the reporters really explored Ann Coulter’s background.
Report: US Asked Israel Not to Start Any Major Wars Until Obama Takes Office
Amid several bellicose comments about the possibility of an impending Israeli strike against Iran Israeli Defense Ministry officials say they have been contacted by US officials who have asked them to refrain from launching any attacks against Iran until after President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January. Likewise, the officials reportedly have cautioned Israel not to launch its long-reported ground invasion of the Gaza Strip until after the inauguration.
An Israeli attack on Iran would almost certainly be interpreted as an American attack, and would likely spark a broad war between Iran and the United States. That prospect, with less than two months before the administration change and President Bush keeping a close eye on his legacy, seems unappealing.
UK to issue IDs for foreign nationals
After a six-year heated debate, the UK government has finally made it mandatory for foreign nationals to obtain identity cards.
The debate was over whether the costly plan is an effective tool against terrorism, identity theft, and welfare fraud, the Home Office announced in a press release on Tuesday.
The program, started on Monday, will initially cover roughly 50,000 foreign students and spouses of permanent residents who will receive their identity cards if they qualify for visa extensions.
Olmert wins US backing for Iran war
Israel’s prime minister says Washington has not rejected a request by Tel Aviv to take any action it deems “necessary” against Iran.
Ehud Olmert, the outgoing premier, said Tuesday that he had extensively discussed Iran and its nuclear program with “Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the (US) president”.
“There is a basic, deep understanding about the Iranian threat and the need to act in order to remove the threat,” Olmert told reporters.
Inmate tracking for US immigration detention facilities
Alanco Technologies has announced today that its TSI PRISM subsidiary has been selected as a subcontractor by Northrop Grumman to provide RFID inmate tracking systems for 19 federal immigration detention facilities. The Department of Homeland Security awarded Northrop a task order to provide infrastructure and an integrated system that will locate and track detainees, reserve bed space among various facilities, and manage detainee transportation.
The task order consists of a one-year, $14 million base period with three one-year options for a total potential value of $44.35 million.
U.S. agency sees robots replacing humans in service jobs by 2025
November 24, 2008 (Computerworld) A U.S. government intelligence agency thinks robots may be so capable by 2025 that questions such as “Would you like fries with that?” may be uttered by a smiling machine at the order counter.
In a report titled “Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World” that was released last week, the National Intelligence Council offered its long-range strategic thinking about the military and economic challenges the U.S. will face from other countries over the next 17 years, as well as the environmental challenges ahead. The report also looks at technologies, and it includes some sweeping ideas about the future.
VeriChip partners with Microsoft HealthVault
Verichip Corporation, in the news in the last couple of weeks due to stock-related excitement, now offers some operational news. The company, makers of the FDA-approved implantable RFID chip, has announced a partnership with Microsoft HealthVault, an online depository of personal health records.
U.S. National Security Agency ‘recorded Tony Blair’s private telephone calls’ in serious breach of unwritten rules
US spymasters snooped on the private life of former prime minister Tony Blair, according to reports in the US.
Mr Blair was given the code named “Anchory” as his private telephone calls were routinely listened into and recorded.
A file on him was compiled at a giant US listening post run by the secretive National Security Agency.
Indonesian AIDS Patients Face Microchip Monitoring
In the remote province of Papua in Indonesia, lawmakers worked to pass a controversial bill that would require HIV/AIDS patients to be implanted with a microchip for monitoring.
According to the Associated Press, supporters of the bill, such as legislator John Manangsang, feel the extreme effort to monitor the disease is necessary.
Manangsang said implanting the small chip beneath the skin of “sexually aggressive” patients would allow authorities to better identify, track and ultimately punish those who deliberately infect others. The punishment would be up to six months in jail or a $5,000 fine.
If the legislation gets passed, as it is expected to, it will be enacted next month, Manangsang said.
Local health workers and AIDS activists, however, call the plan “abhorrent.”
“People with AIDS aren’t animals; we have to respect their rights,” said Tahi Ganyang Butarbutar, a prominent Papuan activist.
Pentagon Bans USB Drives After Virus Hits Computers
Government bans use of flash drives and begins to collect them after undisclosed virus plagues computers
Pentagon officials admitted an undisclosed virus has hit some Pentagon and DoD computers, which has forced officials to confiscate flash drives and ban the use of external hardware drives until further notice.
“We are aware of a global virus for which there are some public alerts on,” said Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman. “And we’ve seen some of this on our networks. And we’re taking steps to identify and mitigate the virus.”
Free Markets Good, Socialism and Government Regulation Bad
2008 Leave a Comment
I’m tired of hearing politicians and the media blaming our current economic downturn we’re in, i.e. the recession, on the free market. There is so much that is wrong with that characterization that I hardly know where to begin with my objections. I guess I could start by stating the obvious, that there hasn’t been any truly free market in this or any other nation for at least as long as I’ve been around. I don’t think human kind has seen a truly free market since before government figured out they could extort money from business owners in exchange for protection or other services, and that was a long, long time ago and perhaps in a galaxy far, far away. How can something that doesn’t exist be blamed for our modern monetary problems? READ MORE »