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Saturday, August 23, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:08 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: 500 Million Euros for Farmers - to make up for crop damage. The government thinks that a pretty good downpayment on the drought damage, which it estimates at 1B Euros. Farmers' unions, however, aren't satisfied with what they consider a paltry sum compared to the 4B Euros in damage they claim.
Le Figaro: Mission Impossible for Abbas - settling down the Palestinians in the wake of a bus bombing in Israel and the subsequent killing of a Hamas leader by Israel.
Libé: Peace Road Map in Tatters.
Ouest-France: Half a billion for farmers.
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Friday, August 22, 2003
posted by gbarto at 5:47 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Chaos In The Middle East: Villepin's Sounding of the Alarm. So, yeah, the Foreign Minister gave Le Monde an interview and he said it was all a mess. And then he said the important thing was to give the UN more power and to let what's left of Iraq have sovereignty so it could do its dealings how it wanted. Which sounds like a bit of hope for internationalisme French style and for maybe getting those oil agreements with Saddam back on the books.
Libération: Accomplices In The Heart Of Baghdad? Did the truck bomb get to UN headquarters because some people let it? The fur is flying.
Ouest-France: Jacques Chirac Promises More Means - for dealing with future heat waves.
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Thursday, August 21, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:55 AM:
Hmmm. Cicero has a seemingly less violent proposal for Israel than I. I'm not sure, though, what the dynamics in play actually are, and it could make quite a difference.My proposal was that Israel let slip that Palestinian casualties from Israeli raids would be made to match Israeli casualties from suicide attacks. Marcus says it's a difficult way to deal with an oppressed and resentful people. But I am not sure if this is the actual demographic. When Israel briefly pursued a policy of destroying the homes of suicide bombers, several suicide bombers in training were turned in by family members who liked their homes, thank you very much. The feeling one got in reading the interviews is that the family wasn't that enthused with Jr.'s activism anyway. And the question is: How much of the Palestinian cheering and jeering is serious anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic, anti-Western hatred and how much is doing the polite thing to keep the overzealous out of their hair? If, as some claim, the Palestinian people want peace and a chance to pursue their own dreams, it's very different from if they're a mess of madmen ready to die for the glory of taking a few Jews with them. If the Palestinians want peace but are afraid of their extremists, the best hope is killing off the extremists. If accomplishing this requires them helping take on the extremists, we need some way to show them that keeping quiet about the slaughter of Israelis is not the ticket to staying out of harm's way. I don't like my proposal, don't like it's violence, don't like that it goes after innocents. The one and only thing I like is that it makes keeping quiet as Hamas, etc. go about their business no longer the easy way out and it makes cheerleading for Hamas an invitation to the eradication of the Palestinian people, not a chance for the Palestinians' finest hour. Before we get peace in the region, something must be done to convince the Palestinians - and moderates in the Arab world - that Israel is not going away but that Palestine can and will if it doesn't renounce its intention to destroy Israel because the glorious battle will not see Allah rallying to the slaughter of Jews but sitting idly by, seemingly indifferent. This is what potential terrorists need to be made to feel and Arab nationalists need to be made to feel: Allah's will is not Israel's destruction, nor the glory of the Palestinians. Allah is not coming, does not care, does not have plans for your glory. Only for a futile and meaningless death should you fail to accept your next door neighbors' existence.
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posted by gbarto at 1:31 AM:
A Dog's Life draws a distinction worth mentioning: that between the honorable liberal and the prattling leftist.* * *
posted by gbarto at 12:44 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Israeli Threats and Retaliatory Operations. Raids into Nablus and Jenin, among other things.
Also: Debate Over A Humanitarian Catastrophe. They're estimating heat wave deaths for the first three weeks of August at more than 10,000.
Finally, for Le Monde: Kofi Annan: The UN will not let itself be impressed - by the bombing. Says he, this is still principally an Anglo-American operation.
Le Figaro: Dog Days: The Time for Taking Stock Has Come. And as we noted above, the returns aren't pretty so far.
Libération: On the same subject, Libé puts a little wit on a bad situation: Jacques Chirac Tries To Lower Temperatures.
Ouest-France: A Delicate Return for Raffarin - who is getting back to Paris for the next bit of governmental business just as the heat wave info comes in.
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Wednesday, August 20, 2003
posted by gbarto at 9:56 AM:
Old Iraqi Army Involved In Blast?AOL (no link, sorry) is reporting that military grade explosives were used in the bombing of the UN, presumably from Saddam's prewar arsenal.
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posted by gbarto at 3:05 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: UN intends to pursue its agenda in Iraq.
Le Figaro: UN Rep at Baghdad Killed In Bombing.
Libé: Iraq: UN and United States struck to the heart
Ouest-France: Baghdad: Attack On UN HQ - 15 dead including special rep of UN
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posted by gbarto at 2:46 AM:
Good Washington Times editorial on the bombing. Will the UN mucky-mucks read it?* * *
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
posted by gbarto at 6:45 PM:
Both the international media and UN officials are freely and repeatedly using the terms "terror", "terrorist", and "a criminal act" in relation to the UN bomb, but are NOT using these terms for the Jerusalem bus bomb even though this bomb, unlike the Baghdad one, targeted civilians. Indeed CNN anchors have already called this a "tit-for-tat" attack -- as though Israel or Israelis have ever deliberately targeted a bus full of Palestinian civilians.from The Corner
Maybe Israel should announce a tit-for-tat policy on civilians. Then the international community could be put on the spot as to which interpretation has been in force:
1) They're only killing Jews.
2) Dirty Arabs can't be expected to behave any better.
The TurkeyBlog believes in the humanity of both groups and thinks both ought live. He wonders why the rest of the world, however, seems oblivious to Holocaust deniers who try to do what the Holocaust failed to. Maybe because Russia, Germany and France - history's top Jew killers and mass murderers by light years - have such a central role in the UN and related institutions.
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posted by gbarto at 6:26 PM:
20 Killed in Blast at U.N. in BaghdadTruck bomb takes off entire corner of hotel used as HQ in Iraqi capital; top U.N. official, one American among dead
And so the killing continues. But there's one thing we don't have to worry about. These f-ers won't do a goddamn thing to ameliorate the lot of the Iraqi people - they had 30 years to do that and spent the time putting up Saddam posters and putting down those who sought freedom.
It's a damn shame about the UN. One wonders if that lot of malcontents will finally come to understand that Arabism is not about a desperate plea for understanding from the oppressed and downtrodden but is, like every murderous movement, the work of an upper middle class with the means to acquire materiel and enough of a taste of power to crave more. Whether they give the poor the "privilege" of spilling blood for a chance to change masters or not is a matter of tactics, not philosophy, for all such men are evil, unfeeling to all save their own taste for more power and more control. While the TurkeyBlog of course regrets the loss of all human life and every last soul, he has to confess to a more primal hope that the guy who put that truck in the lobby went with it and an equally fervent hope that those who financed him will see the remainder of their existence mired in the excruciating boredom of a nice small cell in which to contemplate how little Allah really has done to come to the aid of a movement whose only triumph in the face of Western power has been to find a way to hole away undetected not unlike the rats to whom they could be related if only the plagues they spread weren't so much more invidious to what Allah surely wanted for His people.
Saddam and a few fellows may yet die natural deaths, as may some of the other cowards who send know-nothings to die in their stead, but - and we can take satisfaction in this - their lot will either kill Islam or force it to move beyond the 12th century. So, today, a battle lost. But an uglier face still on a religion of peace which has as much to answer for as did Christianity in the wake of the sack of Constantinople.
While we're at it, one more presumed triumph from the religion of peace:
Two Groups Claim Israel Bombing
Attack kills at least 20, wounds 100
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posted by gbarto at 2:29 AM:
French news headlines:Le Monde: Accord between Rebels and Liberian Government
Le Figaro: Dog Days: Raffarin Demands Accounting.
Libération: Dog Days: Mettai Covers Himself - vis à vis the crisis.
Ouest-France: Director of Health Resigns.
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posted by gbarto at 1:36 AM:
Forgettable software company? Unforgettable Languages offers a wonderful product. If only they would deliver. The Turkeyblog ordered one of their Survival Languages Courses for downloading on Sunday afternoon. As of now, I still have not only not received the key for downloading the course, but an e-mail inquiry from Sunday night has not been responded too. The TurkeyBlog is withholding judgment on whether this is incompetence, bad business practices or outright fraud, or whether there's another more innocent explanation, but the company's failure to respond to an e-mail inquiry doesn't look good. We'll update when more is known.* * *
Monday, August 18, 2003
posted by gbarto at 1:36 AM:
Marcus speaks truth to power on both the Dean agenda and the hatching over the blackouts. He's right on with both issues.* * *
posted by gbarto at 1:28 AM:
French news headlines:Libération: Old Age:Raffarin's Great Hypocrisy - "Since a year ago, all the budgets have come under review - and been lowered." Libé here doing its exposé, with Libé's opinion figuring prominently in the matter.
Le Monde: European Hostages In Sahara Seem To Have Been Freed. Berlin's not confirming, but so sayeth the wires.
Le Figaro: France Seeks Justice For Those Killed On UTA DC-10. Specifically, they're trying to keep the sanctions on Libya until they atone for this plane; Britain proposes to lift the sanctions now that an agreement has been made regarding Lockerbie victims.
Ouest-France: Dog Days Past, Not the Debate over their handling.
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Sunday, August 17, 2003
posted by gbarto at 5:26 PM:
Abraham: Lawmakers Must Act on Energy BillEnergy secretary says the Bush administration has been doing all it can to prevent the types of failures that resulted in the 2003 blackout
One hopes to see this theme hammered home and hard. But at the same time, we need to remember that Republicans have nominal control of all branches of government. Readers of this blog are, likely, sufficiently sentient to realize that nominal control is not real control. In fact, just barely having nominal control is often worse than being just short of it. One the one hand, you're seemingly all-powerful; on the other hand, you have zero room for maneuvering. The Specters, Domenicis, McCains, et al wind up setting the agenda because keeping them on board becomes your focus. One need only note how liberated Bill Clinton was by trading in a barely loyal Democratic Congress for an overconfident but undermanned Republican one.
This brings us to the Republicans' problem. They are going to have to explain - again - a little bit about how Washington works. They are going to need to teach every American names like Robert Byrd while making clear just how much power such men wield, particularly in byzantine institutions like the Senate. Then they can make Abrahams case while arguing what we've really needed to be arguing for quite some time: George W. Bush needs a more supportive Congress in order to do the people's business and it will be Congress' (and, whisper it quietly, the people's) fault if he can't.
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posted by gbarto at 5:16 PM:
Simon Bashes Ah-nold in New AdsFocus on California's property taxes
• Simon Under Pressure to Withdraw
The conservative wing of the California Republicans, fresh from its triumph two years ago, is considering breaking away to form its own party, the Gray Republicans.
I've no doubt Bill Simon is a good man in his own way and means well. He's also a dupe for a California Democratic party that absent some ideas for governance is betting the farm on his again playing spoiler against the too moderate but nonetheless serious vision heralded by the likes of Richard Riordan. Comes the question: How long are conservatives willing to leave the California political system to the Democrats as they attempt to wrest the Republican party from moderates?
By the way, those yearning from another Reagan had best remember that Reagan spent a lot of years in the system while laying the ideological groundwork for his run. Conservatives are going to have to learn that they cannot win the governorship by fracturing the Republican party until the remaining splinters are small enough for them to manage. Only by winning the hearts and minds of the people will they have any hope, and that's going to require treating the softer side of conservatism as a step in the right direction, not the enemy.
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posted by gbarto at 5:05 PM:
Will Blogger update finally? If you're reading this, it did.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:43 AM:
Common Sense and Wonder has wondrous news from the world of robotics.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:32 AM:
From a few days ago, A Dog's Life sounds the alarm on the latest environmental crisis: Global warming comes to Mars.* * *
posted by gbarto at 3:21 AM:
French news headlines:Saturday puts the focus on Le Monde:
Raffarin Refutes All Dysfunction though it is hard to come up with a convincing explanation for thousands being dead in the presence of measured and appropriate action.
UTA DC-10: Libya rules out Paris demands The French plane in question came to harm because of Libya and France has consequently ruled out welcoming Libya back to the family of respectable nations, going to the point of threatening to scotch the deal to compensate Lockerbie victims in the UN if the UTA victims don't get a similar payoff.
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