American Madness

Although I am not a paranoid shut-in, afraid to step out my door, positive that imminent disaster waits around every corner, this is the website that could definitely turn me into one. So, before you go and check it out, be forewarned: This is not for people who fear disaster.

The Global Incident Map is just that, a map that charts the latest “Terrorism Events and Other Suspicious Activities.” This could include anything that could even be remotely considered “suspicious” including false alarms, as they raise fear and terror levels.

Click on any of the events on the map, each with its own icon to display the type of event (a little explosion for bomb threats, little trains for railway threats, little planes for airports, etc…) and you will discover what caused the little alert to show up, ranging from “Brooklyn-bound subway service on the 6 line was disrupted between 125th and 42nd streets due to a police investigation at the 77th street station” to “A suicide bomb on the outskirts of the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday killed six schoolchildren and wounded three Italians working on a project to build a bridge.” (more…)

We all know the pirates are big right now. Since Johnny Depp dawned mascara and started impersonating Keith Richards pirates have been on the rise and getting really popular. Based on this you would think an article about the rise in piracy would either be referring to bootleg DVDs or Hipsters in Williamsburg.

Instead we have an article coming to us from National Geographic* about the Malacca Strait, a heavily trafficked trading route and home to some of the world’s most dangerous pirates or lanun. And these aren’t the swashbuckling pirates of yore, these are pirates armed to the teeth with modern weapons like machine guns and grenades.

(more…)

I live in Washington, DC so pretty much every third person I know is a spy. Intelligence runs like a leitmotif through every policy discussion in this town on Iraq, Iran, North Korea, China and terrorism. The talking heads on the all news channels and think tank policy wonks who focus on this issue are almost exclusively former intelligence officials now outside the tent pissing back in.

Their bottom line assessment usually goes something like this: “The CIA [or insert three-letter agency of your choice] is so broken it can’t possibly be fixed. The biggest problem is personnel, everyone who ever knew anything has left and now the kids are running the candy store! You have supervisors with less than five years of experience!” There they stop their tirade. The fact that most analysts are under thirty is all that is needed before declaring victory and going home. QED. (more…)

You can’t make this up!

The NYTimes reports on the large peaceful uprising in Najaf.

The story includes this photo caption:

Col. Steven Boylan, an American military spokesman and aide to the commander of all American forces in Iraq, praised the peaceful nature of the demonstration, saying Iraqis “could not have done this four years ago,” the A.P. reported.

So…the peaceful nature of the protest is…wait for it!….wait for it!…evidence that our occupation has been fruitful! I love it!

I guess if the Iraqi rebellion were to build an atomic weapon and detonate it on a major U.S. city, the Bush administration would praise it as a sign of increasing Iraqi technological sophistication under our occupation! “It’s a clear sign that we’ve made inroads in improving the educational system,” says Col. Ima Flunky.

Guantánamo Detainees Stage Hunger Strike
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/09/us/09hunger.html?hp

Torture continues. Say what you want about the Khmer Rouge, the Hutu/Tootsie massacres, even the Stalinist purges, at least many of these atrocities were carried out in hot blood. Not so the current U.S. policy for Guantanamo detainees, which reminds me of a line from the movie Payback: “I’ll make this last 3 weeks,” says a mafia boss to a man from whom he is trying to beat information. “I’ll give you a blood transfusion to keep you alive.”

Even as detainees attempt to protest their horrendous, inhumane, sadistic treatment with hunger strikes, as they perhaps attempt to end their lives, our government does not allow that to happen. While not bringing charges against these men, they instead strap them into full body restraint chairs and force feed tubes down their nostrils. Does anyone doubt that this is yet another form of torture?

You know what? If this is what we’ve sunk to, if this is the state of our democracy, maybe we deserve what we get.

I’ve experienced a significant shift in my thinking over the past 5 Years. I realized this when I saw the news that the U.S. government is looking at international banking transactions to find money moving between international and U.S. based Al-Queda operatives.

I used to care when heard about secret government surveillance programs. I got livid when I learned of the unwarranted government wiretaps. But, now I don’t really care that the government is doing this. I’ve decided that it is probably a good thing. I just want to ensure that the appropriate checks and balances are put in place to prevent abuse. Hopefully the abuse of these surveillance systems, which is going to happen, will be minor compared to what could happen without the proper surveillance.

Living a few blocks from the new World Trade Center and in very close proximity to all my neighbors, I tend to value security over privacy. Possibly my languid sensibilities on this subject also stem from the fact that I have not made many million dollar wire transfers to my secret bank account in the Caiman Islands lately. I’m saving up for a wedding.

Bush no know about port sale.

Does it really matter whether this deal means Dubai will control security for our ports? If they control the ports, their personnel have access, and who is monitoring their hiring?

Does our security apparatus have the power to veto their hires if we believe unsavory elements attempt to infiltrate their presumably well-intentioned company? That’s the key issue here.

Obviously, foreign ownership of a port is not in and of itself a national security issue, else we wouldn’t allow the British to currently control the ports in question.

But this issue is further evidence that the Bush whitehouse has a tin ear on these matters.