A Running Diary of Thought

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Notable: An interesting suggestion from Gregg Easterbrook.

As a demonstration of goodwill toward the people of Iraq, our side should pay compensation. Suppose $10,000 went to the family of each civilian killed. Too expensive, you say? If there were 1,300 Iraqi civilian dead, $10,000 for each tragedy would be about the cost of 10 naval cruise missiles. (We launched 800.) Considering the cost-no-object ordnance showered on Iraq, it would be an outrage if we didn't pay at least a relatively small amount for those wrongly killed. If 1,300 is the number, the United States could even pay $100,000 per death for a total expense of less than one night's bombing during the campaign. In addition to being the right thing to do, think of the effect such payments might have on Arab public opinion--communicating that we really do care about typical Iraqis, and that, unlike Arab governments, which kill without compunction, we really do grieve over our errors.

Good points (except the "it would cost less than one night's bombing" argument). But the rest of the article's a little too ebulliant about what actually happened during the war. Not that Easterbrook is necessarily wrong (though, the skeptic's inclined to doubt that only 4 or 5 missiles hit the wrong target)--just that there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

posted at 1:32 PM |

 

What Ails the Left

Dissent has a sharp article about Michael Moore, and how he typifies the problems of liberals today.

Moore is not just a quirky guy with enough talent and dough to reach a wide audience. His political criticism signals problems faced by the left more generally: marginalization, a tendency to seek the purity of confrontation rather than to work for long-term political solutions, a cynicism about the possibilities of politics today, and questionable political judgments.

Moore exhibits all these weaknesses. Unfortunately, an effective left cannot draw energy or inspiration from a deeply cynical view of politics that blurs entertainment and argument. Moore takes short-cuts when it comes to politics. He entertains, but he doesn't always do much more. That speaks to the state of the left; we are angry and sometimes vocal, but we have too little to offer those looking for or needing social change. (skeptic's emphasis)

posted at 6:39 PM |

 

Chalabi Watch, Day 16

Chalabi's bid to head Baghdad's interim administration seems to have failed. (the skeptic was wary of Chalabi in three posts: first, second, third.)

Reason to cheer? Perhaps. Though the person who seems to have been appointed (in a democratic-republic sort of way) is an aide to Chalabi. Let's hope the Iraqis give as much credence to Mohammed Mohsen Zubaidi as the people representing "clerics, academics, Muslim Shi'ites and Sunnis, Christians and writers" apparently have.

P.S. the skeptic was under the impression that the number of Christians was quite small. Did the U.S. stack the deck for the Iraqi National Congress?

posted at 4:24 PM |

 
Notable: Anyone who asserts Bush is a mere lackey of corporate executives has to do a convincing job of explaining this. Which is to say, he's not necessarily a lackey.

Bet you she hated saying this: "When this becomes law, it will be the biggest public health step since lead was taken out of gasoline more than 20 years ago," said Richard Kassel, a senior lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has been lobbying for the regulations.

posted at 9:39 PM |

 

Who Says the U.S. Didn't Give Peace a Chance?

From a P.R. standpoint, the skeptic assumes this isn't very good.

In January, while ways of avoiding war were still being discussed at the United Nations, the American government quietly asked companies to submit proposals for a reconstruction effort that would rival the rebuilding of Germany after the second world war in its ambition. The plan envisages fixing water systems, roads, ports, hospitals and schools within just 18 months, as well as attempting broader “nation-building” efforts, stabilising the Iraqi dinar and even establishing a corporate-governance code.

As for skeptic readers' favorite scandal,

Halliburton was also initially awarded, without competition, a separate contract by the Army Corps of Engineers to make emergency repairs to Iraq's oilfields. This was originally valued at up to $7 billion, but a new contract is now being drawn up, estimated to be worth a more conservative $600m because the damage was so light.

posted at 9:07 PM |

 

The Countdown:

How long before Zimbabwe explodes? the skeptic doesn't think the current situation can last for more than a year. the skeptic's psychic friend says: "Mugabe can't stand the summer heat. He's out, one way or another, by August-ish."

(the skeptic didn't bother to note that Zimbabwe's summer is actually from November to mid-March; anyone who hedges their prediction with an "ish" should not be taken seriously.)

posted at 8:40 PM |

 
Notable: Something tells the skeptic the number of teach-ins and rallies you'll see about the war in the Congo are few and far between. Which is what makes this somewhat heartening.

posted at 8:31 PM |

 
Reason to love the Internet, Number 2: Gauging nationalism and xenophobia.

posted at 8:24 PM |

 

Burundi Opposes Genocide--Maybe

Burundi has approved a law to prevent genocide. (Some reports say ethnic conflict killed approximately 150,000 Tutsis and Hutus in 1993.)

Why is this particularly noteworthy? Because the skeptic's a little confused by this article.

"The law provides for the constitution of an international judicial commission of enquiry for crimes committed between 1 July 1962 and the date of law’s promulgation." The IRIN adds "The Burundian parliament also adopted on Wednesday a law on the formation of a truth and reconciliation commission."

So why is a leader in the fight against genocide so upset?

"Following adoption of the bill, the leader of an association against genocide, known as AC Genocide, said he was 'deeply disappointed' that the law was neither applicable for 'the past genocide nor for 'the present or a future genocide.'

"'It is meaningless, we cannot [effectively] investigate crimes committed over a period of 40 years, we can investigate within a well-determined period when the crime was committed and recognised as such [because] in Burundi, genocide against Tutsis occurred in 1993,' Bamboneyeho said."

Why is the law that creates a judicial commission for a 40-year period is not "applicable" to the 1993 genocide? Some more details would be nice...

posted at 8:01 PM |

 

Is Michael Jordan a 9/11 Hero?

The answer is no. Though this story might lead you to believe otherwise. To quote an e-mail the skeptic received:

Nearly lost in all the post-game anxiety was the spectacle of Jordan's last home appearance.

It started when Rumsfeld, who received a loud ovation, presented Jordan with a flag that flew over the Pentagon on the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The two shook hands and chatted briefly, and Jordan cradled the flag in his right hand with his head bowed as the national anthem played.

WHO THE HELL IS MICHAEL JORDAN TO GET THIS FLAG? Did he lose anybody on September 11, or did he serve in the military?
When people here ask me why I hate Michael Jordan, I can now direct them to this article.

Though, it seems to be more reason for hating Rumsfeld and the cult of Jordan, rather than Jordan himself....

posted at 11:59 AM |

 
Update: the skeptic commented on the Lynch rescue when it first came to light, remarking how much of it seemed like a Wag the Dog operation (though, the skeptic didn't yet seriously believe that it was such). The Post says that the rescue was, in all actuality, short on drama.

"[N]o Iraqi soldiers or militiamen were at the hospital that night, April 1, when the U.S. Special Operations forces came in helicopters to carry out the midnight rescue."

Also interesting tidbit: "Most of the Saddam's Fedayeen fighters, and the entire Baath Party leadership, including the governor of the province, had come to the hospital earlier in the day, changed into civilian clothes and fled, the doctors said."

the skeptic emphasizes that because the day was April 1, a full week before the real siege of Baghdad began.

posted at 9:08 PM |

 

U.S.: "Iraqi Men are Impotent"

And Other Random War Factoids

Newsweek has an interesting article about how American troops used "psy ops" to "mess with their heads" (the heads, of course, belonging to fighters for the Iraqi regime). For example:

ONE WAS THAT young Arab toughs cannot tolerate insults to their manhood. So, as American armored columns pushed down the road to Baghdad, 400-watt loudspeakers mounted on Humvees would, from time to time, blare out in Arabic that Iraqi men are impotent. The Fedayeen, the fierce but undisciplined and untrained Iraqi irregulars, could not bear to be taunted. Whether they took the bait or saw an opportunity to attack, many Iraqis stormed out of their concealed or dug-in positions, pushing aside their human shields in some cases—to be—slaughtered by American tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles.

Now, the skeptic thought that one of the most important things about this war was to be portrayed as the "liberators" of the Iraqi people. If that's the case, is it really a good idea for the U.S. to go around humiliating Iraqi men on loudspeakers?

Interesting bits about the war (emphasis above and below from the skeptic):

1) How Iraqis communicated: "As the bombing intensified, the Iraqis were reduced to communicating by bicycle messenger."

2) Why Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhafmay have believed his own propaganda: "Living and working in Saddam’s never-never land, Saddam’s top flunkies may have been genuinely ignorant about the progress of the American invaders."

3) The covert mission: "Secret operators roamed Iraq for months before the war. Some were Arabic, many were Hispanic disguised to look like Arabs and some darkened their faces and beards with dye."

4) The lack of oil fires: "Large cash payments persuaded some oilfield operators to shut down wells so that they could not be set afire. ... According to one CENTCOM source, the ground invasion was moved up 36 hours when intelligence officials reported that Saddam had ordered his lackeys to torch the southern oilfields."

5) The all-hour bombing: "CENTCOM made sure to bomb various Baath Party headquarters around the clock, to keep Saddam’s men from sleeping."

6) Precision bombing: "In the first gulf war, targeting a cruise missile to hit a specific building in Baghdad required about three days. In this war, the interval between a tip from a spy on the ground to a bomb on target was about 45 minutes."

7) Does this even make sense? "For the first time, the Air Force dropped 'tank buster' bombs dispensing heat-seeking bomblets that float down by parachute, sniffing for tanks and then hammering them with munitions designed to penetrate their vulnerable topsides."

8) What's up with Saddam now? "A Syrian official with close ties to the Iraqi regime suggested to NEWSWEEK that Saddam & Co. may have just gone to ground to wage a guerrilla war against the American occupiers—with some help, he added, from Syria and Iran."

9) The oddest discovery: (former) Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz's mansion hosted, among a collection of American DVD's, "a Princeton Review test-preparation book, titled Cracking the GMAT, marked with notes in the margins."

What the hell?

posted at 10:25 PM |