11.22.2005
WW4
Car From Japan Used In Hariri Assassination >>> No, it wasn't just made in Japan, it actually came from there! This is reminiscent of the story of a truck from Texas being used for a suicide attack in Iraq. Everything is connected....
Padilla Indicted >>> The charges against Jose Padilla are anything but clear, but at least he's finally been indicted. Whether he is guilty or not will eventually be decided, but this story is a definite example of CT gone wrong. Unlike the Guantanamo detainees that get so much press attention, Padilla is a US citizen. 'Enemy combatant' or not, holding him for three years without charges is not only a violation of his rights but is a sharp contrast to the overall theme of the US legal system and the Constitution. Sure, maybe this guy was trying to blow something up and his lawyer was smuggling messages to his 'followers', but if the government can't hack it enough to find a legitimate charge and some evidence to back it up, you've got to let him go. Then follow him and if he does anything illegal, grab him and charge him. The Bush people are going to chalk this up as a victory for the PATRIOT Act, but this kind of stuff only encourages the police state conspiracy theories.
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DEFENSE & TECHNOLOGY
Cold War Redux? >>> Just when you thought about renting out your bomb shelter....
White Phosphorus A Chemical Weapon? >>> This site looks a little bit off the deep end, but information doesn't play favorites. The idea that the Pentagon refers to WP as chemical weapons when used by Saddam but not by us is indeed hypocritical, but beside the point. Whether the Pentagon refers to them as 'chemical' or not, they are 'incendiary weapons', which means their destructive effects derive from fire and/or explosive force. Yes, WP is made up of a chemical composition, but so is dynamite and C4. And gunpowder. It's a chemical, but it's not a 'chemical weapon'. There are precise categories for defining this stuff, and in the vast history--since 1874--of banning chemical weapons, WP has never made the list. Anybody--including the Pentagon--who labels WP as a chemical weapon is seriously misguided.
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OTHER
OSM Puts The Pajamas Back On >>> A somewhat humorous--and thankfully peaceful--misunderstanding between Open Source Media (OSM) and Open Source (a separate site concerning a radio show by Christopher Lydon) has been resolved. Both sites have acknowledged the graciousness and understanding of the other as this was all sorted out, and Lydon's reply can be read here. At the end of the day, friends were made and both sites got some free advertising. Besides, I think Pajamas Media is a much better name than OSM. Good call, gentlemen!
****************
Car From Japan Used In Hariri Assassination >>> No, it wasn't just made in Japan, it actually came from there! This is reminiscent of the story of a truck from Texas being used for a suicide attack in Iraq. Everything is connected....
Padilla Indicted >>> The charges against Jose Padilla are anything but clear, but at least he's finally been indicted. Whether he is guilty or not will eventually be decided, but this story is a definite example of CT gone wrong. Unlike the Guantanamo detainees that get so much press attention, Padilla is a US citizen. 'Enemy combatant' or not, holding him for three years without charges is not only a violation of his rights but is a sharp contrast to the overall theme of the US legal system and the Constitution. Sure, maybe this guy was trying to blow something up and his lawyer was smuggling messages to his 'followers', but if the government can't hack it enough to find a legitimate charge and some evidence to back it up, you've got to let him go. Then follow him and if he does anything illegal, grab him and charge him. The Bush people are going to chalk this up as a victory for the PATRIOT Act, but this kind of stuff only encourages the police state conspiracy theories.
****************
DEFENSE & TECHNOLOGY
Cold War Redux? >>> Just when you thought about renting out your bomb shelter....
White Phosphorus A Chemical Weapon? >>> This site looks a little bit off the deep end, but information doesn't play favorites. The idea that the Pentagon refers to WP as chemical weapons when used by Saddam but not by us is indeed hypocritical, but beside the point. Whether the Pentagon refers to them as 'chemical' or not, they are 'incendiary weapons', which means their destructive effects derive from fire and/or explosive force. Yes, WP is made up of a chemical composition, but so is dynamite and C4. And gunpowder. It's a chemical, but it's not a 'chemical weapon'. There are precise categories for defining this stuff, and in the vast history--since 1874--of banning chemical weapons, WP has never made the list. Anybody--including the Pentagon--who labels WP as a chemical weapon is seriously misguided.
****************
OTHER
OSM Puts The Pajamas Back On >>> A somewhat humorous--and thankfully peaceful--misunderstanding between Open Source Media (OSM) and Open Source (a separate site concerning a radio show by Christopher Lydon) has been resolved. Both sites have acknowledged the graciousness and understanding of the other as this was all sorted out, and Lydon's reply can be read here. At the end of the day, friends were made and both sites got some free advertising. Besides, I think Pajamas Media is a much better name than OSM. Good call, gentlemen!
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posted by Jesse Clark at
12:06 PM
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