tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-94563562024-03-08T09:19:29.190-05:00alt-ctrl-delA little bitty journal about stuff...Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.comBlogger329125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-66625334459326581772009-05-11T16:46:00.001-04:002009-05-11T16:46:11.560-04:00Test Post<span xmlns=''><p>This is a test. It is only a test.</p></span>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-70816750079190815802008-09-08T21:13:00.001-04:002008-09-08T21:13:26.167-04:00The Palin Factor<span xmlns=''><p>It is absolutely stunning how quickly Sarah Palin has altered the political landscape. What remains to be seen, however, is if this truly is a landmark change or simply exuberance at a new, unfamiliar face.</p></span>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1175473168239139032007-04-01T20:16:00.000-04:002007-04-01T20:19:28.240-04:00Iranian OutragesIts hard to believe that -- 28 years later -- we are once again talking about an Iranian "Hostage Crisis".<br /><br />I'm going to sum it up in just a few sentences: the Iranians are the ones who started this whole Islamic fanatic movement. They have been the ones who have done more to foment strife between the Islamic world and the West. They are responsible for most of the problems we have faced in post-Saddam Iraq. Now they are on the verge of attaining a nuclear weapon.<br /><br />Read my lips: WE ..... NEED....A.....REGIME.... CHANGE....IN....TEHRAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1175472951420666422007-04-01T20:14:00.000-04:002007-04-01T20:15:51.443-04:00OK, its time to get back to work.I've largely dropped out of the blogging game over the past 2 years or so, mostly due to job and commute constraints. However, I think its time to get back in this, as world events seem to demand comment.<br /><br />More posts to come!Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1153015351126185642006-07-15T22:02:00.000-04:002006-07-15T22:02:31.843-04:00The Greatest Diplomatic Retort in U.S. HistoryThis has to be one of the greatest diplomatic retorts -- ever!!<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060715/ts_nm/korea_north_dc_88"></a><blockquote>The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Saturday imposing sanctions on North Korea's dangerous weapons and condemning Pyongyang's recent missile tests.<br /><br />North Korea immediately 'totally rejected' the resolution. Its U.N. Ambassador Pak Gil Yon said Pyongyang's missile development served 'to keep the balance of force and preserving peace and stability in Northeast Asia.'<br /><br />In response, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton told the council that Pak 'set a world record in rejecting it within 45 minutes after its adoption.'<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">He added: 'I could exercise the right of reply on behalf of the United States -- but on the other hand, why bother?'"</span></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1149775206875728032006-06-08T10:00:00.000-04:002006-06-08T10:48:41.296-04:00Reuters Looks for the Silver Lining in Zarqawi's Death...In typical fashion, Reuters is looking for its own "silver lining" relating to the death of Abu Mussab al Zarqawi.<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060608/ts_nm/iraq_zarqawi_impact_dc_2"></a><blockquote style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);"> "Arab and Western security analysts were agreed on Thursday that Zarqawi's death in a U.S. air raid would not end the insurgency, even if it represents a rare triumph in Iraq for the Bush administration.<br /><br />'There will be people that will be mobilized to join the caravan of martyrs, to emulate his example and to honor him,' said Magnus Ranstorp, an al Qaeda expert at the Swedish National Defense College."</blockquote><br />UPDATE:<br /><br />More blathering from Reuters, again citing "experts" no one has ever heard of:<br /><br /><blockquote style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">CAIRO (Reuters) - The death of Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in<br />Iraq showed deep splits on Thursday between Arabs who see the Iraqi insurgency as resistance to occupation and those who say al Qaeda gives Arabs and Muslims a bad name.<br /><br />But few ordinary Arabs or analysts expected that the killing of the Jordanian-born militant would have much effect in reducing the level of violence in Iraq.<br /><br />Some Arab citizens hailed Zarqawi as a hero for his role in the insurgency but others welcomed his death as a form of justice for the civilians killed in bombings by his group, which calls itself al Qaeda in Iraq.<br /><br />Another view was that the United States, anxious to find a scapegoat for its troubles in Iraq, deliberately demonized him and exaggerated his significance as a militant leader.<br /><br />Zarqawi was killed on Wednesday night in a U.S. air raid in Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad.<br /><br />"He died for the sake of God. After giving so much and having such incredible courage, Abu Musab the lion left us after humiliating the Americans. Pray for his soul," Khaled al-Saleh wrote on the Web site Montada.<br /><br />"Thank God this wayward infidel is dead," wrote a chatter identified as Azizi on another Web site. "All true believers have been relieved of his evil."<br /><br />Abdullah, a 29-year-old Saudi secretary, put the third point of view: "I consider Zarqawi as nothing more than propaganda for the Americans. He's just a name, a rumor so that they have somebody to blame everything on."<br /><br />Arab analysts were also skeptical about some of the high hopes expressed by western leaders including President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.<br /><br />Bush said the killing of Zarqawi was a severe blow to al Qaeda and offered a chance for the Iraqi government to "turn the tide" in the struggle against the insurgency.<br /><br />Mustafa Alani of the Gulf Research Center in Dubai said: "Maybe the bloodshed will decrease in Iraq now. But the problem is that whenever an extremist leader dies, he is replaced by a more radical leader. Zarqawi is a central figure but I believe that the organization will survive."<br /><br />EXAGGERATION<br /><br />"It will have some impact on the security situation but it won't be enough. Let's not exaggerate the impact," he added.<br /><br />Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamist groups at the al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, said the United States had repeatedly exaggerated the probable effect of their occasional successes in Iraq and would do so again.<br /><br />"Zarqawi in recent times did not represent an important element in violent operations on the ground in Iraq. Other groups which are not extreme, resistance groups not terrorist groups, have grown in strength," he told Reuters.<br /><br />Several ordinary Arabs expressed strong hostility toward Zarqawi and welcomed his killing. But just as many others said he was a martyr who died fighting for the noble cause of ending the U.S. occupation of a leading Arab and Muslim country.<br /><br />"We should have no regrets over the killing of a terrorist like him. He was mutilating the image of Islam. Hopefully bin Laden is next," said Lebanese Shi'ite student Sana Abdul-Nabi, referring to al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1146084864733993102006-04-26T16:54:00.000-04:002006-04-26T17:02:46.660-04:00Al Qaeda suspect objects to Guantanamo treatment - Yahoo! News<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060426/wl_nm/security_guantanamo_dc_4">Reuters</a> reports on the sad case of an al-Qaeda terrorist who doesn't like his new housing arrangements at Gitmo.<br /><blockquote><br />"An al Qaeda suspect who earned top privileges for good behavior in the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, asked a military judge on Wednesday to overturn a camp rule that detainees who face trial be held in maximum security.<br /><br /><p>Sufyian Barhoumi, a 32-year-old Algerian charged with training two other al Qaeda militants to build remote detonators for car bombs, had been granted communal living, up to 14 hours a day outside his cell and family-style meals in an area reserved for detainees considered "highly compliant."</p> <p>But weeks before his pretrial military tribunal hearing on Tuesday, Barhoumi was suddenly transferred without explanation to a maximum-security facility where prisoners spend 22 hours a day locked inside cement cells and have little contact with fellow detainees."</p></blockquote><br />Aaawww, poor guy. How 'bout we place him and all of his friends in a building, say about 110 stories tall, then douse the floor, walls, ceiling, furniture, even them, with jet fuel, set it on fire and challenge them to find a way out? Anyone who can escape before their prison collapses can have their freedom!Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1142371023697470692006-03-14T16:17:00.000-05:002006-03-14T16:17:14.103-05:00Judge: Moussaoui death penalty trial still on - Yahoo! NewsThis <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060314/ts_nm/security_moussaoui_continue_dc">story</a> is Exhibit A-1 as to why the criminal justice system is NOT the way to handle terrorism. Moussaoui should have been brought before a Military Tribunal, convicted of war crimes and executed.<br /><br />Its that simple.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1141533369533860332006-03-04T23:36:00.000-05:002006-03-04T23:37:11.333-05:00Wishful ThinkingHeadline: <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060303/tc_nm/summit_musicphone_dc">Music phones to slice into iPod growth - Yahoo! News</a><br /><br />Uh huh...and buggy whip sales are still strong, too.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1140544695988638992006-02-21T12:58:00.000-05:002006-02-21T12:58:16.426-05:00Just Wondering...From <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060221/ts_nm/security_ports_dc">news</a> about the Dubai-based company selected by the Bush Administration to run certain U.S. ports:<br /><blockquote>"U.S. lawmakers will seek quick action in Congress to block a deal under which a state-owned Dubai company would manage major U.S. seaports, they said on Tuesday."</blockquote>I wonder how many of these same lawmakers are absolutely opposed to profiling?<br /><br />Does anyone else see the hypocrisy here?Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139697627683349832006-02-11T17:40:00.000-05:002006-02-11T17:40:27.823-05:00Insulting Infidels<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060211/ts_nm/religion_cartoons_dc"></a><blockquote>"In Indonesia, about 400 protesters from the radical Hizbut Tahrir group held a noisy but peaceful rally at a Jakarta intersection, demanding that Denmark apologize for what they said was an insult to Islam.<br /><br />They unfurled anti-Western banners that read 'Western infidels never can stop insulting' and 'Regret is not enough to pay for the insult to the Prophet.'"</blockquote><br />Ah, so we're "infidels". <br /><br />And, of course, that's not an insult.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139173200707508392006-02-05T16:00:00.000-05:002006-02-05T16:00:00.710-05:00What a Great Idea!From <a href="http://news.com.com/NFL+to+re-air+Super+Bowl+commercials/2100-1024_3-6033515.html?tag=nl">CNET</a>:<br /><blockquote>"The National Football League is giving fans of Super Bowl commercials a way to see all the new ads without sitting through the entire game. The league announced Monday that after the game ends on Feb. 5, it would re-air the commercials shown during ABC's broadcast of Super Bowl XL."</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139172943784461482006-02-05T15:55:00.000-05:002006-02-05T15:55:43.930-05:00al-Qaeda Prison Break<blockquote>"Interpol has issued a global security alert for 23 dangerous convicts, at least 13 of them al-Qaeda linked, who broke out of a Yemeni jail on Friday.<br /><br />The group includes a man said to be a mastermind of the 2000 attack on the destroyer USS Cole."</blockquote><br />Wonderful...<br /><br />(from the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4683520.stm">Beeb</a>)Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139169001983858712006-02-05T14:48:00.000-05:002006-02-05T14:50:01.983-05:00The DiplomadJust a passing note: Its been one year since our friend(s), <a href="http://diplomadic.blogspot.com/">The Diplomad</a>, signed off. We miss his/her/their wry insight into the diplomatic passing scene.<br /><br />Someday, I hope he/she/they will return from exile. For now, be thankful that The Diplomad's posts are still available for perusal.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139168827513355652006-02-05T14:44:00.000-05:002006-02-05T14:47:07.563-05:00More on the CartoonsI think <a href="http://hughhewitt.com/archives/2006/01/29-week/index.php#a001246">Hugh Hewitt</a> and <a href="http://tks.nationalreview.com/archives/089339.asp">Jim Geraghty</a> hit the nail on the head: the Danish cartoons lampooning Mohammed were idiotic, but that is no excuse for violence directed against the Danes and Norwegians by the Islamists.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1139082156689720462006-02-04T14:42:00.000-05:002006-02-05T08:46:29.820-05:00World War III?Please tell me that this is not going to be how World War III starts, over a stupid (and I mean that) cartoon:<blockquote> "Furious Syrians set fire to the Danish and Norwegian embassies on Saturday as protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad showed no signs of abating despite calls for calm."</blockquote><br />Seriously, I think the Muslims need to check their emotions on this. Depicting a religious <span style="font-style: italic;">person</span> is NOT blasphemy. However, Kanye West's Rolling Stone cover is. Christians are not torching anyone's embassy and would have a lot more reason to do so.<br /><br />Muslims: get over it.<br /><br />UPDATE: It looks like this furor is not dying down at all. One of <a href="http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004461.htm">Michelle Malkin's</a> "trackbacker", <a href="http://www.urbanrepublican.net/2006/02/wwiii_caused_by_a_cartoon.html">UrbanRepublican</a>, has picked up on my thoughts on this being the start of WWIII. I honestly don't know how it is that we extend any tolerance to Muslims. They are so blasted intolerant of EVERYTHING else...<br /><br />Finally, please note all the protest signs in English in the photos on Michelle Malkin's various posts on this subject. Aside from Palestine (now Israela and Jordan), Pakistan and Iraq (the latter two, a long time ago), I don't think English was the official language of any Muslim nation. This is, then, obviously being done for American consumption.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138878973996765532006-02-02T06:16:00.000-05:002006-02-02T06:16:18.193-05:00Grasping at StrawsReuters gleefully reports this morning that Samuel Alito might be a liberal! Or at least that's how I take the following:<br /><blockquote> "New Supreme Court JusticeSamuel Alito <span style="font-style: italic;">broke ranks</span> (emphasis supplied) with the court's conservatives late on Wednesday, refusing to allow Missouri to execute a man convicted of kidnapping and killing a Kansas City teenager 17 years ago, CNN reported.<br /><br />Alito sided with the majority in a 6-3 vote rejecting a last minute request to allow Missouri to carry out the execution of Michael Taylor, 39, by lethal injection at midnight, CNN said."</blockquote><br />Come on. Now, I don't know the details of the case, but this decision can hardly be seen as "breaking ranks" with the conservative justices. My impression is that Justice Alito probably took the prudent course here for someone who also doesn't know the full details of the case. You can always lift the stay of execution later if the merits of the case so warrant. However, you cannot undo an execution. My gut tells me that Justice Alito probably preferred to evaluate the case on the merits, when he had the benefit of time to study it, along with a full complement of law clerks to assist him, neither of which I'm sure he has had after 1 full day on the Court.<br /><br />In other words: I'm going to cut him a little slack on this one.<br /><br />Nice try, Reuters and CNN.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138678364327131802006-01-30T22:32:00.000-05:002006-01-30T22:32:44.353-05:00Byrd Does the Right Thing<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,183204,00.html"></a>I never thought I'd see the day when I believed Robert Byrd to be correct about anything:<br /><blockquote>"Last week, Byrd decried the highly partisan tone of Alito's confirmation hearing, held three weeks ago, saying 'something is wrong with our judicial nominations process, and we in the Senate have the power to fix it.'<br /><br />The West Virginia lawmaker admonished his colleagues from the Senate floor, telling them their votes should be based on Alito's qualifications not their party affiliation."</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138677712243870382006-01-30T22:21:00.000-05:002006-01-30T22:21:52.243-05:00Lakers' Kobe Bryant not chasing 100-mark - Yahoo! News<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060131/sp_nm/nba_kobe_dc"></a><blockquote> "Kobe Bryant feels a bit sheepish about his sensational 81-point performance and says he is not caught up in a chase after Wilt Chamberlain's magical record mark of 100."</blockquote><br />Uh....right.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138677417142386402006-01-30T22:16:00.000-05:002006-01-30T22:16:57.266-05:00Iran Gets a TimeoutWell, its a start...<br /><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060131/ts_nm/nuclear_iran_dc"></a><blockquote>"The permanent five members of the U.N. Security Council agreed on Tuesday that this week's meeting of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog should report Iran to the Council over its nuclear programs ***. "</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138642208870021782006-01-30T12:30:00.000-05:002006-01-30T12:30:12.696-05:00Mighty Sporting of Iran!It sure is a big concession from Iran to let UN "inspectors" view a former atomic site: <blockquote><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060130/wl_nm/nuclear_iran_lavisan_dc"></a>"VIENNA (Reuters) -Iran has allowed U.N. nuclear inspectors to check equipment from a former military site in an apparent effort to avert a crackdown by the U.N. atomic watchdog (IAEA) this week, a senior diplomat said on Monday."</blockquote><br />It's just like: "Don't look at the man behind the curtain!"Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138589088770040752006-01-29T21:44:00.000-05:002006-01-29T21:45:43.610-05:00Health Care Costs: Whose Fault Are They?<a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/060127/gm_wagoner.html?.v=2"></a>Rick Wagoner, Chairman of General Motors, stated recently that something needs to be done about health care costs in this country: <br /><blockquote>"HOUSTON (AP) -- American industry and the government will need to address how rising health care costs are hurting companies and the economy, General Motors Corp.'s chairman Rick Wagoner said on Friday.<br /><br />'I want to be clear I'm not saying we expect the government to pick these expenses up,' Wagoner said at the Houston Auto Show a day after the world's No. 1 carmaker reported it lost $4.8 billion in the fourth quarter, one of the its most dismal showings ever, and $8.6 billion for 2005. 'I think they've made it very clear they don't intend to do that, at least the current administration.'<br /><br />The 'health care burden' affects every business as well as government and affects the ability to grow jobs and the economy, said Wagoner."</blockquote><br />I agree that the Bush Administration is not going to jump in with a bail out plan. However, the Administration would do well to take heed of the fact that it is largely the Federal Government's doing (together with a ridiculous tort environment) that health care costs are what they are. The Medicare / Medicaid systems have created a rationing of health care costs leading to higher prices. Sure, that not the Bush Administration's fault, but let's also not simply blame the automakers for all their problems, either.Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138581459047361122006-01-29T19:36:00.000-05:002006-01-29T19:39:58.430-05:00Eeewwww!!!!<blockquote>"President George W. Bush says Bill Clinton has become so close to his father that the Democratic former president is like a member of the family."</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138573972442101042006-01-29T17:32:00.000-05:002006-01-29T17:43:18.973-05:00Hugo Chavez and Cindy Sheehan meetI'm not sure which of these two bozos <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060129/ts_nm/venezuela_forum_dc">this</a> says the worst about:<br /><br /><blockquote>"CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela's left-wing president, Hugo Chavez, joined U.S. anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan on Sunday to attack<br />President George W. Bush and the Iraq war at the close of the World Social Forum."<br /></blockquote><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/nm/20060130/2006_01_29t171112_450x334_us_venezuela_forum.jpg?x=380&y=281&sig=L18nVi9KFicgMSd5z88GEQ--"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/nm/20060130/2006_01_29t171112_450x334_us_venezuela_forum.jpg?x=380&y=281&sig=L18nVi9KFicgMSd5z88GEQ--" alt="" border="0" /></a>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9456356.post-1138245100885390342006-01-25T22:11:00.000-05:002006-01-25T22:11:41.070-05:00Office 12 Christened Office 2007<a href="http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1915258,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535"></a>And now for stunning <a href="http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1915258,00.asp?kc=MWRSS02129TX1K0000535">news</a> from Microsoft:<blockquote>"Microsoft is now referring to the next version of its desktop office suite, code-named 'Office 12,' as 'Office 2007.' Microsoft watcher Steven Bink is reporting that Microsoft officials used the Office 2007 name at IT Forum. He also points to an Office Online page that uses the same terminology. Microsoft officials have held fast to the company line that Office 12 will ship towards the end of calendar 2006. But one member of the Office family, Exchange 12, already is on its way to becoming a 2007 deliverable. Will Office 12 slip into 2007? We'll keep you posted."</blockquote>Doughttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00809958956061941578noreply@blogger.com0