Late

120 Hours from my last posting. I took an unexpected hiatus and didn't connect to the internet for 5 days. Almost all the news has been the same or based on previous trends.

I think I am not going to be providing the huge number of digests daily anymore.

John Bonitz sent me a site to pick up Sheila Jackson Lee's announcement that she is seeking the repeal of the Iraq resolution.

"Taking the time to deliberate more intelligently in no way diminishes the valor of our troops," stated Congresswoman Jackson Lee. "To the contrary, because we love and support our young men and women who are willing to give their lives to defend their nation, they deserve our fullest efforts to keep them out of harm's way."


My sister has heard from her son in the rangers. They are moving out and he is a lead scout. He says they were told Powell has already approved the game plan and they will roll within weeks. Being sent off in the next week or two he has asked his girlfriend's parents for permission to get married when he gets back. For more on other soldiers leaving home for this action see Time, which also provides the picture... My nephew was not able to go home this Christmas to see his family and is going into harm's way.

Meanwhile France, Germany, Russia, and China have announced they will not support military action at this time. His Solicitor General has warned Britain's Blair against committing troops without UN Security Council approval. I am still thinking a no-confidence vote for Blair is looking likely. His poll numbers are much lower than the rapidly sinking Bush's (NYTimes) and the great majority of his people oppose this military action.

Powell is saying we have support from only 12 countries, to be named later. Sounds like a draft. Israel and some other countries that depend on our support are some early favorites with Spain also in the running.

The British people have also been told that Bush says "It's war within weeks." Bush seems to have forgotten about telling the American people.

Here is Condi Rice in the New York Times on why she thinks Iraq is failing to disarm and is lying. Comparing countries that voluntary decided to disarm to a country that is under threat to disarm doesn't convince me of anything except that she is grasping at straws. Meanwhile, those aluminum tubes were not to make enriched uranium, the Washington Post reports, as evidence steadily decreases that Iraq has major prohibited weapon's programs.

Other media are now reporting about the massive missile barrage the US is planning the first few days of the military exercise.

BuzzFlash thinks that Rumsfeld is an insult to the military, partially based on this article on him criticizing the top staff.

On Venezuela, Powell, Lula, and the "Group of Friends" nations have supported Jimmy Carter's proposals to end the lockout by management that has cost the country billions. The proposals are all constitutional, which the opposition did not want, they just wanted him gone now before he took their money, and Carter's proposed elections or referendums would not be very soon but later this year.

The watch had a "what if this was happening in the US" perspective on what has happened in Venezuela the last year.

The World Economic Forum was blasting at Bush policies to Ashcroft (NYTimes). When a Republican administration is losing support from representatives of the rich and powerful they must really be screwing up. The wealth disparity is widening so they are still succeeding at one of their agendas.

In another victory for sanity and liberty, the US Senate blocked the pentagon from spending money on the Total Information Awareness Project. This is the military database designed to contain all data on everyone in the United States. It is likely some version might get passed, if it didn't they will probably move it to the "black budget" or to some other department.

The site I linked to just prior also has a controversial rant against Arianna Huffington's controversial ad's linking SUV's to supporting terrorism, which are themselves takeoff's on this administration's controversial anti-drug ads linking drugs to terrorists.

My ex-wife was wondering, "What drugs are linked with what terrorists?" Of course heroin is the middle east, except that the Taliban had greatly decreased opium production and under our guys it's full production again. Cocaine is South America, except those are rich drug lords more than terrorists. Both pro-American and anti-American revolutionaries have used drug money from cocaine. In fact, the CIA provided plane transportation for Contra drug smuggling. Still cocaine is more supporting the people who supply you with the dope. That leaves marijuana and pills, both mainly home grown. Well, there is some weed from Mexico and elsewhere, but who has ever heard of a mellow terrorist?