Mind Vomit by the ikss ~ a journal

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Monday, Sept. 27, 2004
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�Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead�
-Lucille Ball

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
--Theodore Roosevelt, 1918

REGISTER TO VOTE

"The time is always right to do what is right"
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The "seven social sins": Knowledge without character,
Science without humanity,
Wealth without work,
Commerce without morality,
Politics without principles,
Pleasure without conscience,
Worship without self-sacrifice."
--Gandhi

"We have not inherited the world from our forfathers -
We have borrowed it from our children."
--Kashmiri, proverb

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man tumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust, sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievements and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while doing greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt

A sustainable business generates a reasonable profit while continually reducing negative externalities like pollution, sub-standard wages, and traffic congestion, and increasing positive externalities such as healthy workers, community involvement, and ecological restoration.
--Andrew Grigsby

~~~

OK, I�m sorry, but I can�t let this one just skip by without commenting on it�

Powell: Situation in Iraq 'Getting Worse'

By LAURA MECKLER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell sees the situation in Iraq �getting worse� as planned elections approach, and the top U.S. military commander for Iraq says he expects more violence ahead.

Their comments Sunday followed a week in which President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi spoke optimistically about the situation despite the beheadings of two more Americans and the deaths of dozens of people in car bombings.

In its latest report, the military said four Marines died in separate incidents Friday, adding to a toll that has topped 1,000 since the U.S.-led invasion.

Powell said the insurgency is only becoming more violent as planned January elections near.

�It's getting worse,� he said on ABC's This Week. . .

Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. troops in the Middle East, warned that voting may not be possible in parts of Iraq where the violence is too intense. . .

Abizaid spoke of a major offensive before the election, with U.S. and Iraqi forces doing �whatever's necessary to bring areas in Iraq under Iraqi control. . .�

Powell said planning is under way for an Iraqi conference, possibly next month in Jordan or Egypt, of the world's leading industrialized nations and regional powers, including Iran and Syria.

�This was a way to reach out to Iraq's immediate neighbors and persuade them that this is the time to help Iraq, so that the region can become stable,� he said. . .

U.S. officials have expressed conflicting opinions about whether security will enable all Iraqis to vote in January.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told Congress on Friday that the elections must be held throughout the country, including areas gripped by violence. But Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said that if insurgents prevent Iraqis from voting in some areas, a partial vote would be better than none at all.

Asked about Rumsfeld's comments, Powell repeated the State Department's assertion that all Iraqis must have the chance to vote if the election is to be credible.

�You know, there will be polling stations that are shot at,� he said. �There will be insurgents who will still be out there who will try to keep people from voting.�

�But I think what we have to keep shooting for and what is achievable is to give everybody the opportunity to vote in the upcoming election, to make the election fully credible, and something that will stand the test of the international community's examination.�

� Copyright The Associated Press.

*

This is pretty interesting, considering Dubya keeps insisting that things are improving over in Iraq. I mean yes, we all know better (or we should), but to have Colin Powell come right out and admit things are �getting worse� when his boss keeps saying otherwise is�interesting.

Not to mention the fact that he basically just publicly dismissed what Rummy said about who should be given the chance to vote over there.

Not that George W. Bush is going to get elected again, but if he did it would be interesting to see of Colin Powell kept his job.

Being the one sane man within a network of lunacy must be really difficult, to say the least. Personally, I think it would be better for what�s left of Powell�s soul if he got out of there anyway. Especially since he�s already pretty much ruined his career by joining up with this administration � a career that was once so promising.

~~~

Spy Imagery Agency Watching Inside U.S.

By KATHERINE PFLEGER SHRADER

BETHESDA, Md. (AP) - In the name of homeland security, America's spy imagery agency is keeping a close eye, close to home. It's watching America. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, about 100 employees of a little-known branch of the Defense Department called the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - and some of the country's most sophisticated aerial imaging equipment - have focused on observing what's going on in the United States.

Their work brushes up against the fine line between protecting the public and performing illegal government spying on Americans. . .

The agency is especially watchful of big events or targets that might attract terrorists - political conventions, for example, or nuclear power plants.

Everyone agrees that the domestic mission of the NGA has increased dramatically in the wake of Sept. 11, even though laws and carefully crafted regulations are in place to prevent government surveillance aimed at Americans.

The agency is not interested in information on U.S. citizens, stresses Americas office director Bert Beaulieu. �We couldn't care less about individuals and people and companies,� he said.

But that's not good enough for secrecy expert Steven Aftergood, who oversees a project on government secrecy for the Federation of American Scientists. �What it all boils down to is 'Trust us. Our intentions are good,�� he said. Adds Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington: �As a general matter, when there are systems of public surveillance, there needs to be public oversight.�

Geospatial intelligence is the science of combining imagery, such as satellite pictures, to physically depict features or activities happening anywhere on the planet. . .

� Copyright The Associated Press.

*

And...I have no comment.

~~~

In other news�I have a twitch in my left cheek.

Oh and I�m going to the doctor this afternoon, because my ankle/foot problems have returned with a vengeance. The pain very much interfered with my weekend training. I was supposed to walk 20 miles each on both Saturday and Sunday. I was only able to walk 5.2 miles on Saturday and 15.5 on Sunday.

Ergh�

I am not afraid of being able to complete the 3 Day; I know I�m in good enough shape for that. But still � it was irritating. I wanted the workout, first of all. More importantly, I hate having to flake when I am the leader of the training group. Not that the group cared, but I did.

So when I couldn�t complete the walk on Saturday, I came home and made white chocolate/pecan cookies instead.

Yum.

~~~

Word of the Day for Monday September 27, 2004

excursus ik-SKUR-sus, noun:
1. A dissertation that is appended to a work and that contains a more extended exposition of some important point or topic.
2. A digression.

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