Van Halen - Right Now
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Weird News
The Entrepreneurial Spirit!
High Point University (just south of Greensboro, N.C.) is not quite Club Med ("Club Ed," it was called by the Chronicle of Higher Education) but provides free ice cream for students, a hot tub in the middle of campus, wake-up calls and a concierge service, all run by a campus "director of WOW," whose job it is to thrill the "clients" and attract new ones. This is the strategy of President Nido Qubein, a motivational speaker and "customer comes first" businessman, and so far, enrollment is way up (even at higher tuition), new construction is transforming the campus, and $100 million is in the bank. [Chronicle of Higher Education, 7-4-08]
Challenging New Products: stilettos for toddlers (though with soft heels), from Bellevue, Wash., designer Britta Bacon, selling recently in Toronto for $39.95 (Cdn) a pair; and [The Star (Toronto), 6-13-08]
a rotating ice cream cone on which the scoop gently revolves counter-clockwise, so that lazy people merely stick their tongues out and need not actively lick (sold by Kitchen Craft in the UK). [Daily Telegraph (London), 6-10-08]
Leading Economic Indicators
The U.S. government's $100 billion stimulus distributed to taxpayers this spring achieved mixed results, according to economists, but at least the Internet pornography industry flourished (according to a July trade association spokesman). Adult Internet Market Research Co. reported that "20 to 30 percent" of "adult" Web sites reported that sales rose during the time checks were being issued. However, Nevada brothels were suffering, even though Hof's Bunny Ranch ran a stimulus-check special: Hand over your $600 check and get the usual $1,200 "party" ("three girls and a bottle of champagne"). [AIMR press release, 7-2-08] [Newsweek, 6-16-08]
A July Los Angeles Times investigation revealed that professional fundraisers keep so much of the money donated to charity by conscientious, generous-minded people that 430 different California charities over the last 10 years got not one penny of the contributions. In fact, in 337 cases, the charity paid an additional fee on top of getting nothing back (but did come away with the donors' names and addresses, for further solicitation). Philanthropy watchdogs say fundraisers should never keep more than 35 cents on the dollar, but the Times found the overall average was 54 cents, and for missing-children charities, fundraisers kept 86 cents. (Fundraisers for an organization called Citizens Against Government Waste kept 94 cents.) [Los Angeles Times, 7-6-08]
Frontiers of Science
A 10-year-old British boy had such a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder that he was overwrought with guilt that he had caused the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks, in that he had not been able that day to make his ritual step upon a particular mark in the street. Writing in June in the journal Neurocase, psychologists at University College London said the boy recovered only when they convinced him that the attacks had already started by the time he would have made his usual step. [Daily Telegraph (London), 6-28-08]
Many nations are exploring how to curb cattle's release of the greenhouse gas methane, including altering cows' diets to reduce flatulence (which requires monitoring the gas compositions from the old and new diets). To collect the gas for measurement (according to a July report in London's Daily Telegraph), researchers at Argentina's National Institute of Agricultural Technology rigged a large plastic tank to the cow's back, with a tube to the backside to directly capture each emission. (The alternative, researchers pointed out, would require a human to follow a cow around with plastic bags.) [Daily Telegraph (London), 7-9-08]
Higher-Order Animal Research: Britain's Sea Life Centre announced a study in July that would give octopuses Rubik's Cubes to play with, to ascertain whether they use a certain tentacle for such activities, or any tentacle at random. [Daily Mail (London), 7-7-08]
Writing in the journal Nature in July, a team of University of Oregon biologists showed that roundworms do "calculus"-type computations, using chemosensory neurons, to determine how to find food or avoid trouble. [Science Daily, 7-3-08]
One Obsessive American
Sam Bloomfield, 58, grew up poor on Tonga but arrived here in 1976 and says he has tried to show his gratitude ever since, according to a July 4 profile in his hometown Herald of Everett, Wash. He has tattooed "God Bless America" under his left eye, "Land of the Free" under his right eye and a large "USA" across his forehead, and last year underwent another 15 painful hours with the needle to cover the rest of his face with stars and stripes resembling an American flag so that he can toast his beloved country in the mirror every morning. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer-Everett Herald, 7-4-08]
Least Competent Corrections Department
In July, convicted drug dealer Marcus Anderson opened the door of the Corrections Department van taking him to court, climbed out and walked away into downtown Baltimore. It was an ordinary van without a prisoner cage and whose driver had no gun, handcuffs, phone or radio (because Anderson had arrived late at the pick-up point for the regular prisoner van). An exasperated Judge Charles Bernstein later asked whether the driver had given him bus tokens, too. "If I were a young enterprising criminal," said the judge, "I'd come to Baltimore to set up my practice. This is the place to be. This is the Promised Land." [Baltimore Sun, 7-3-08]
Update
"Brain fingerprinting," reported in 2000 and 2003 from the experimental work by former Harvard research associate Lawrence Farwell, achieved a breakthrough in July in India, when two murder suspects were convicted based in part on that technology. Though Farwell's theory is somewhat different, the "Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature" used in Mumbai operates on a similar principle, that a different brain area activates when one recalls an actual experience than when one recalls something he merely learned about. Thus, in the India cases, neurologists concluded that the defendants either were present at the murder scene or had actually looked for or transported the murder weapon (and not that they had just read or been told about those facts). [The Times of India, 7-21-08]
News That Sounds Like a Joke
After complaints by neighbors, police went to an apartment in Framingham, Mass., in July to quell a raucous screaming match between two women who, it turns out, are deaf. [MetroWest Daily News (Framingham), 7-15-08]
In Crawley, England, in July, police were called to a supermarket to break up a fight between two grandmothers, who were ramming each other in their mobility scooters. [Daily Telegraph (London), 7-10-08]
The Aristocrats!
In June, a woman walking in a parking lot near Fort Walton Beach, Fla., with her two children was nearly struck by a car, but gently approached the driver to let her know the kids were unhurt. Inexplicably, the driver erupted, and when the woman tried to calm her by offering her a church brochure, the furious driver grabbed it, pulled her own pants down, and, according to a police report, "wipe(d) her female anatomy" with it (as the mother shielded her children's eyes). [Northwest Florida Daily News, 6-10-08]
Walter
The Russo-Georgian War: How and Why It Happened and What the Press Won't Tell You
The Balance of Power
The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted. The United States has been absorbed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as potential conflict with Iran and a destabilizing situation in Pakistan. It has no strategic ground forces in reserve and is in no position to intervene on the Russian periphery. This, as we have argued, has opened a window of opportunity for the Russians to reassert their influence in the former Soviet sphere. Moscow did not have to concern itself with the potential response of the United States or Europe; hence, the invasion did not shift the balance of power. The balance of power had already shifted, and it was up to the Russians when to make this public. They did that Aug. 8.
The Russian invasion of Georgia has not changed the balance of power in Eurasia. It simply announced that the balance of power had already shifted. The United States has been absorbed in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as potential conflict with Iran and a destabilizing situation in Pakistan. It has no strategic ground forces in reserve and is in no position to intervene on the Russian periphery. This, as we have argued, has opened a window of opportunity for the Russians to reassert their influence in the former Soviet sphere. Moscow did not have to concern itself with the potential response of the United States or Europe; hence, the invasion did not shift the balance of power. The balance of power had already shifted, and it was up to the Russians when to make this public. They did that Aug. 8.
Let’s begin simply by reviewing the last few days.
On the night of Thursday, Aug. 7, forces of the Republic of Georgia drove across the border of South Ossetia, a secessionist region of Georgia that has functioned as an independent entity since the fall of the Soviet Union. The forces drove on to the capital, Tskhinvali, which is close to the border. Georgian forces got bogged down while trying to take the city. In spite of heavy fighting, they never fully secured the city, nor the rest of South Ossetia.
On the morning of Aug. 8, Russian forces entered South Ossetia, using armored and motorized infantry forces along with air power. South Ossetia was informally aligned with Russia, and Russia acted to prevent the region’s absorption by Georgia. Given the speed with which the Russians responded — within hours of the Georgian attack — the Russians were expecting the Georgian attack and were themselves at their jumping-off points. The counterattack was carefully planned and competently executed, and over the next 48 hours, the Russians succeeded in defeating the main Georgian force and forcing a retreat. By Sunday, Aug. 10, the Russians had consolidated their position in South Ossetia.
On Monday, the Russians extended their offensive into Georgia proper, attacking on two axes. One was south from South Ossetia to the Georgian city of Gori. The other drive was from Abkhazia, another secessionist region of Georgia aligned with the Russians. This drive was designed to cut the road between the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and its ports. By this point, the Russians had bombed the military airfields at Marneuli and Vaziani and appeared to have disabled radars at the international airport in Tbilisi. These moves brought Russian forces to within 40 miles of the Georgian capital, while making outside reinforcement and resupply of Georgian forces extremely difficult should anyone wish to undertake it.
The Mystery Behind the Georgian Invasion
In this simple chronicle, there is something quite mysterious: Why did the Georgians choose to invade South Ossetia on Thursday night? There had been a great deal of shelling by the South Ossetians of Georgian villages for the previous three nights, but while possibly more intense than usual, artillery exchanges were routine. The Georgians might not have fought well, but they committed fairly substantial forces that must have taken at the very least several days to deploy and supply. Georgia’s move was deliberate.
The United States is Georgia's closest ally. It maintained about 130 military advisers in Georgia, along with civilian advisers, contractors involved in all aspects of the Georgian government and people doing business in Georgia. It is inconceivable that the Americans were unaware of Georgia’s mobilization and intentions. It is also inconceivable that the Americans were unaware that the Russians had deployed substantial forces on the South Ossetian frontier. U.S. technical intelligence, from satellite imagery and signals intelligence to unmanned aerial vehicles, could not miss the fact that thousands of Russian troops were moving to forward positions. The Russians clearly knew the Georgians were ready to move. How could the United States not be aware of the Russians? Indeed, given the posture of Russian troops, how could intelligence analysts have missed the possibility that the Russians had laid a trap, hoping for a Georgian invasion to justify its own counterattack?
It is very difficult to imagine that the Georgians launched their attack against U.S. wishes. The Georgians rely on the United States, and they were in no position to defy it. This leaves two possibilities. The first is a massive breakdown in intelligence, in which the United States either was unaware of the existence of Russian forces, or knew of the Russian forces but — along with the Georgians — miscalculated Russia’s intentions. The second is that the United States, along with other countries, has viewed Russia through the prism of the 1990s, when the Russian military was in shambles and the Russian government was paralyzed. The United States has not seen Russia make a decisive military move beyond its borders since the Afghan war of the 1970s-1980s. The Russians had systematically avoided such moves for years. The United States had assumed that the Russians would not risk the consequences of an invasion.
If this was the case, then it points to the central reality of this situation: The Russians had changed dramatically, along with the balance of power in the region. They welcomed the opportunity to drive home the new reality, which was that they could invade Georgia and the United States and Europe could not respond. As for risk, they did not view the invasion as risky. Militarily, there was no counter. Economically, Russia is an energy exporter doing quite well — indeed, the Europeans need Russian energy even more than the Russians need to sell it to them. Politically, as we shall see, the Americans needed the Russians more than the Russians needed the Americans. Moscow’s calculus was that this was the moment to strike. The Russians had been building up to it for months, as we have discussed, and they struck.
The Western Encirclement of Russia
To understand Russian thinking, we need to look at two events. The first is the Orange Revolution in Ukraine. From the U.S. and European point of view, the Orange Revolution represented a triumph of democracy and Western influence. From the Russian point of view, as Moscow made clear, the Orange Revolution was a CIA-funded intrusion into the internal affairs of Ukraine, designed to draw Ukraine into NATO and add to the encirclement of Russia. U.S. Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton had promised the Russians that NATO would not expand into the former Soviet Union empire.
That promise had already been broken in 1998 by NATO’s expansion to Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic — and again in the 2004 expansion, which absorbed not only the rest of the former Soviet satellites in what is now Central Europe, but also the three Baltic states, which had been components of the Soviet Union.
The Russians had tolerated all that, but the discussion of including Ukraine in NATO represented a fundamental threat to Russia’s national security. It would have rendered Russia indefensible and threatened to destabilize the Russian Federation itself. When the United States went so far as to suggest that Georgia be included as well, bringing NATO deeper into the Caucasus, the Russian conclusion — publicly stated — was that the United States in particular intended to encircle and break Russia.
The second and lesser event was the decision by Europe and the United States to back Kosovo's separation from Serbia. The Russians were friendly with Serbia, but the deeper issue for Russia was this: The principle of Europe since World War II was that, to prevent conflict, national borders would not be changed. If that principle were violated in Kosovo, other border shifts — including demands by various regions for independence from Russia — might follow. The Russians publicly and privately asked that Kosovo not be given formal independence, but instead continue its informal autonomy, which was the same thing in practical terms. Russia’s requests were ignored.
From the Ukrainian experience, the Russians became convinced that the United States was engaged in a plan of strategic encirclement and strangulation of Russia. From the Kosovo experience, they concluded that the United States and Europe were not prepared to consider Russian wishes even in fairly minor affairs. That was the breaking point. If Russian desires could not be accommodated even in a minor matter like this, then clearly Russia and the West were in conflict. For the Russians, as we said, the question was how to respond. Having declined to respond in Kosovo, the Russians decided to respond where they had all the cards: in South Ossetia.
Moscow had two motives, the lesser of which was as a tit-for-tat over Kosovo. If Kosovo could be declared independent under Western sponsorship, then South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the two breakaway regions of Georgia, could be declared independent under Russian sponsorship. Any objections from the United States and Europe would simply confirm their hypocrisy. This was important for internal Russian political reasons, but the second motive was far more important.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once said that the fall of the Soviet Union was a geopolitical disaster. This didn’t mean that he wanted to retain the Soviet state; rather, it meant that the disintegration of the Soviet Union had created a situation in which Russian national security was threatened by Western interests. As an example, consider that during the Cold War, St. Petersburg was about 1,200 miles away from a NATO country. Today it is about 60 miles away from Estonia, a NATO member. The disintegration of the Soviet Union had left Russia surrounded by a group of countries hostile to Russian interests in various degrees and heavily influenced by the United States, Europe and, in some cases, China.
Resurrecting the Russian Sphere
Putin did not want to re-establish the Soviet Union, but he did want to re-establish the Russian sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union region. To accomplish that, he had to do two things. First, he had to re-establish the credibility of the Russian army as a fighting force, at least in the context of its region. Second, he had to establish that Western guarantees, including NATO membership, meant nothing in the face of Russian power. He did not want to confront NATO directly, but he did want to confront and defeat a power that was closely aligned with the United States, had U.S. support, aid and advisers and was widely seen as being under American protection. Georgia was the perfect choice.
By invading Georgia as Russia did (competently if not brilliantly), Putin re-established the credibility of the Russian army. But far more importantly, by doing this Putin revealed an open secret: While the United States is tied down in the Middle East, American guarantees have no value. This lesson is not for American consumption. It is something that, from the Russian point of view, the Ukrainians, the Balts and the Central Asians need to digest. Indeed, it is a lesson Putin wants to transmit to Poland and the Czech Republic as well. The U.S. wants to place ballistic missile defense installations in those countries, and the Russians want them to understand that allowing this to happen increases their risk, not their security.
The Russians knew the United States would denounce their attack. This actually plays into Russian hands. The more vocal senior leaders are, the greater the contrast with their inaction, and the Russians wanted to drive home the idea that American guarantees are empty talk.
The Russians also know something else that is of vital importance: For the United States, the Middle East is far more important than the Caucasus, and Iran is particularly important. The United States wants the Russians to participate in sanctions against Iran. Even more importantly, they do not want the Russians to sell weapons to Iran, particularly the highly effective S-300 air defense system. Georgia is a marginal issue to the United States; Iran is a central issue. The Russians are in a position to pose serious problems for the United States not only in Iran, but also with weapons sales to other countries, like Syria.
Therefore, the United States has a problem — it either must reorient its strategy away from the Middle East and toward the Caucasus, or it has to seriously limit its response to Georgia to avoid a Russian counter in Iran. Even if the United States had an appetite for another war in Georgia at this time, it would have to calculate the Russian response in Iran — and possibly in Afghanistan (even though Moscow’s interests there are currently aligned with those of Washington).
In other words, the Russians have backed the Americans into a corner. The Europeans, who for the most part lack expeditionary militaries and are dependent upon Russian energy exports, have even fewer options. If nothing else happens, the Russians will have demonstrated that they have resumed their role as a regional power. Russia is not a global power by any means, but a significant regional power with lots of nuclear weapons and an economy that isn’t all too shabby at the moment. It has also compelled every state on the Russian periphery to re-evaluate its position relative to Moscow. As for Georgia, the Russians appear ready to demand the resignation of President Mikhail Saakashvili. Militarily, that is their option. That is all they wanted to demonstrate, and they have demonstrated it.
The war in Georgia, therefore, is Russia’s public return to great power status. This is not something that just happened — it has been unfolding ever since Putin took power, and with growing intensity in the past five years. Part of it has to do with the increase of Russian power, but a great deal of it has to do with the fact that the Middle Eastern wars have left the United States off-balance and short on resources. As we have written, this conflict created a window of opportunity. The Russian goal is to use that window to assert a new reality throughout the region while the Americans are tied down elsewhere and dependent on the Russians. The war was far from a surprise; it has been building for months. But the geopolitical foundations of the war have been building since 1992. Russia has been an empire for centuries. The last 15 years or so were not the new reality, but simply an aberration that would be rectified. And now it is being rectified.
The question now is what are the greater implications as far as global involvement. I've stated that the U.S. and Israel have had military advisers in Georgia for a while now, totally antagonizing the Russians. With the events continuing to build in Iraq, Iran's determination to rattle it's sabre with a plan bent on Israel's destruction, coupled with Russia's new thirst for the glory days as a competing Superpower (and now with the funds to initiate that goal), will we see the greatest armed conflict greater than or equaled to World War II? Or will 'someone' step in and calm the storm with their own hidden world agenda?
Walter
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Grab Your Telescopes & Digital Cameras - The Heavens Are Calling!
Perseid Meteor Shower To Peak August 11 and 12
The annual Perseid meteor shower, which will peak between August 11 and 12 in 2008, is created as Earth plows through a stream of dust and small rocks trailed by the comet 109P Swift-Tuttle.
Soon the curtain will rise on one of the best of these showers: the Perseids, so called because the meteors appear to originate in the constellation Perseus.
The annual Perseid meteor shower, which will peak between August 11 and 12 in 2008, is created as Earth plows through a stream of dust and small rocks trailed by the comet 109P Swift-Tuttle.
Soon the curtain will rise on one of the best of these showers: the Perseids, so called because the meteors appear to originate in the constellation Perseus.
Slated to peak sometime during the night and early morning of August 11 to 12, the shower offers one of the year's best chances to see a shooting star.
Under perfect conditions, observers can expect to see about 90 to100 meteors an hour, said Wayne Hally, a self-professed "meteor geek" who writes a newsletter for the North American Meteor Network.
Hally spends a few hundred hours a year watching for meteors from his base in northwest New Jersey.
The stargazer said he expects the Perseids to have a sustained peak over several hours this year.
"Based on last year's results, it appears that the actual peak was not at a specific time but lasted a day and a half surrounding that date," Hally said.
"The peak this year might be the whole night."
A Blaze of Glory
Meteor showers happen regularly when Earth plows through a stream of dust and small rocks trailed by a comet after its close approach to the sun.
109P Swift-Tuttle, the comet responsible for the Perseid meteor shower, orbits the sun every 133 years. The comet last made a close approach in 1992, resulting in a spectacular meteor shower with rates four times higher than average.
"The Perseids have been seen since 36 A.D., almost 2,000 years ago. Most [meteor showers] have not been around that long, as streams spread out," Hally said. "The comet that produces the Perseids is in a good reliable orbit. So it's been around for 2,000 years, and it will probably be around for another 2,000."
"Free Sample"
More than just a pretty spectacle, meteors offer astronomers a glimpse back in time to when planets formed.
Paul Wiegert, a physicist and astronomer at Canada's University of Western Ontario, studies meteors with the Meteor Physics Group, the largest research body of its kind in North America.
"Comets are interesting because they are extremely old, forming when planets did, and they are unaltered since. With comets, you can observe what went into making the Earth, its original ingredients," Wiegert said.
Occasionally pieces of comet debris survive the fiery descent through our atmosphere and crash into Earth as meteorites.
"Meteorites can be billions of years old, much older than anything on Earth," Wiegert said.
"It's like a free sample of material from outer space. Space missions cost millions of dollars to go get that material, but sometimes we can get it delivered here for free."
Starry Nights
Observers on the U.S. West Coast will likely get the best view of the peak just before dawn on August 12.
But the Perseids will put on a good show as seen from almost any place on Earth for several reasons.
The moon will set relatively early, making the sky darker and allowing observers to see fainter meteors.
Also, the region in the sky where the meteors appear to come from will rise up higher as the night progresses, so fewer meteors will shoot below the horizon.
Meteors higher in the sky also appear brighter, because they are seen through less distortion-causing atmosphere.
Hally, the meteor buff, says that people who want to see the largest number of meteors possible should find the darkest sky available and face northeast, where the meteors will appear to come from.
And don't forget a warm blanket. Even August can feel cold with the early morning dew, he noted. A reclining deck chair can also help reduce neck strain from looking up.
Unlike short-lived solar eclipses or unpredictable auroras, meteor showers regularly offer skywatchers a dazzling show.
"With meteors, you never know exactly what you are going to get," Hally said. "With a telescope on a star cluster, it will look the same today as the next hundred years.
"If you look at the planets, you don't see a lot of change. But with a meteor shower you never really know what's going to happen."
Walter
Source: NASA
Russia vs. Georgia: Cause for Concern in Many Ways
I knew this would happen. It's been brewing for more than 100 years. It's not just that Russia is a bully (I love my country, but is the U.S. any different at times?), but the country known as Georgia (why does the news media still call it a "break away republic" - it's been a sovereign NATION for years?!) has had it's share of problems. Russia, in some way, shape or form, has invaded Georgia numerous times over the course of 100 years. The Russians are doing everything they can to increase the instability in the region by supporting the rebel cause. It's not a secret that Russia supports terror, but so do we if it suits our agenda. I'm being painfully honest here.
Having said that, I will be painfully honest that I have friends in the nation of Georgia. Tiblisi is the sister city of Atlanta and through that association, I've come to know some wonderful people I am now scared for, afraid for, pray for their safety and well-being.
But something else has been brewing which I REALLY knew was going to happen: the confusion between Georgia - the state and Georgia - the nation. And if the invasion of Georgia with its current loss of life, anticipated loss of life and temporary loss of freedom weren't so tragic, it would almost be hilarious. I don't know which is stupider: the fact that people have made the confusion between the two or making too much fun out of the confusion while people's lives and livelihoods are in grave danger. Maybe I'm getting too sensitive in my old age; no, I don't think so. I'm too incredibly mean to be sensitive.
I can take a joke as much as any one else and I even pride myself on having a pretty good sense of humor. I like a good smart ass remark, too, but to dwell on the humor of the confusion while there is real confusion is really in bad taste. We Americans sometime get a sense of complacency because we just don't have to deal with this alot. But we can't get desensitized.
Yes, it's funny when people are acting stupid, since stupidity is an excuse for ignorance. I can almost imagine my ex-girlfriend believing that the Russians are making their way to Atlanta via Savannah. Some people are really that, being really nice here, slow, I guess, as this link from Yahoo illustrates:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:UgWOgw-udKEJ:answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20080808091149AA3VGTk+http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20080808091149AA3VGTk&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
The poor girl didn't even spell Georgia correctly (her own state), much less Russia. For more reading on what people are saying, see:
http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Russian_Troops_Nearing_Savannah_GA_Run_For_The_Hills_PIC
It's okay to laugh, but not too long. I'd like to keep a perspective: people in the state of Georgia's sister region are suffering and dying for what they believe in. That in itself deserves some amount of reverence.
In the meantime, perhaps since people spell phonetically these days, maybe it would be easier to call the state of Georgia - Jawja - in order to avoid further confusion.
Walter
Having said that, I will be painfully honest that I have friends in the nation of Georgia. Tiblisi is the sister city of Atlanta and through that association, I've come to know some wonderful people I am now scared for, afraid for, pray for their safety and well-being.
But something else has been brewing which I REALLY knew was going to happen: the confusion between Georgia - the state and Georgia - the nation. And if the invasion of Georgia with its current loss of life, anticipated loss of life and temporary loss of freedom weren't so tragic, it would almost be hilarious. I don't know which is stupider: the fact that people have made the confusion between the two or making too much fun out of the confusion while people's lives and livelihoods are in grave danger. Maybe I'm getting too sensitive in my old age; no, I don't think so. I'm too incredibly mean to be sensitive.
I can take a joke as much as any one else and I even pride myself on having a pretty good sense of humor. I like a good smart ass remark, too, but to dwell on the humor of the confusion while there is real confusion is really in bad taste. We Americans sometime get a sense of complacency because we just don't have to deal with this alot. But we can't get desensitized.Yes, it's funny when people are acting stupid, since stupidity is an excuse for ignorance. I can almost imagine my ex-girlfriend believing that the Russians are making their way to Atlanta via Savannah. Some people are really that, being really nice here, slow, I guess, as this link from Yahoo illustrates:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:UgWOgw-udKEJ:answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20080808091149AA3VGTk+http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20080808091149AA3VGTk&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
The poor girl didn't even spell Georgia correctly (her own state), much less Russia. For more reading on what people are saying, see:
http://digg.com/odd_stuff/Russian_Troops_Nearing_Savannah_GA_Run_For_The_Hills_PIC
It's okay to laugh, but not too long. I'd like to keep a perspective: people in the state of Georgia's sister region are suffering and dying for what they believe in. That in itself deserves some amount of reverence.
In the meantime, perhaps since people spell phonetically these days, maybe it would be easier to call the state of Georgia - Jawja - in order to avoid further confusion.
Walter
If you enjoyed this comic you can find more at AnotherRandomDay.com
American Weekend: A 360 Photoessay
Brad Hill soars above the clouds over Arlington, Wash., in his 325 lb. Apis-13 sailplane. Hill, who has been soaring for close to 30 years, describes cross-country gliding as "a game of aerial chess with the elements." With no motor to keep him air born, Hill must jump from cloud to cloud, using thermals, or columns of warm rising air, to lift the plane and prevent gravity from pulling him back down to earth. (Andy Rogers/Seattle)
Morning sunlight shines on the Abby of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, Georgia. The site was built 65 years ago with plans from the first Abby of the Cistercian order built in the 4th Century in France. (DD/Atlanta)
Ellen Fein and Lance Houpt enjoy a laugh as they leave their wedding reception in New York. (John Marshal Mantel/NYC)
Zoey Bear looks frazzled while being costumed by Carolyn Graham of Farmersville, Texas, before the 23rd Annual Pooch Parade in Lee Park, Dallas. This was Graham's fifth time taking part in the event.
When trying to explain the sport of cricket, you can point out its similarities to baseball. Bats, balls and highest score wins. There are even fantasy cricket leagues. But nobody has ever scored 501 runs in an inning in baseball. Aficionados of the ancient sport are playing at Dodge Park in Omaha, Nebraska where Batsman Vikram Singh of North Dakota State University waits for the ball from Omaha Cricket Club bowler Jatin Khurana. Swarit Agarwal, the OCC wicket keeper, watches intently at left. (Kent Sievers/Omaha)
A guest at "Experience the Beauty of Art," a reception at The Residence at SouthPark luxury apartments, samples one of the delicious hors d'oeuvres from M5 restaurant. (Olivia Fortson/Charlette, NC)
A chunk of ice spreading across 7 square miles (18 square kilometers) breaks off a Canadian ice shelf in the artic. (Sam Soja/AP)Walter
Saturday, August 9, 2008
D. B. Cooper's loot said to be stashed in B. C.
Notorious hijacker left $200,000 in Vancouver: lawyer
One of the first topics I wrote about on this blog after expanding from Live Journal and Word Press was D. B. Cooper. While not an endorser of crime and the criminal way of life (people like Al Capone were not 'heroes' as some like to suggest), people like Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie and Clyde do hold a sort of fascination for those of us who study - things, people, etc. D. B. Cooper is no exception.
Well, there's apparently another chapter to be added in the ever-developing saga of Mr. Cooper. A Washington State lawyer claims the $200,000 legendary hijacker D. B. Cooper had with him when he jumped out of a plane is stashed in a financial institution in Vancouver.
Galen Cook, a Spokane, Wash., lawyer, said he has information suggesting the notorious hijacker was a Utah man, the late William "Wolfgang" Gossett, who confessed to his family about being the man who parachuted from an airplane with the money in 1971.
Mr. Cook, who has been following the case for more than two decades, said he will not name the Vancouver financial institution where he thinks the stolen money was cached.
"It started out with a physical profile and Gossett is a dead-on match," said Mr. Cook of his research, which he plans to turn into a book.
Mr. Gossett, who died in 2003 at the age of 73, had a military background, including wilderness survival and parachuting experience, Mr. Cook said. "Gossett certainly had the skills and ability to do it," he added.
The mystery surrounding the event continues to intrigue people and has been the subject of numerous hoaxes and a 1981 feature film.
All anyone knows for sure is that a man calling himself Dan "D. B." Cooper hijacked a Boeing 727 passenger jet on Nov. 21, 1971, after it had taken off from the airport in Portland, Ore.
During the flight, he showed a flight attendant what appeared to be a bomb in his briefcase and demanded $200,000 in cash and several parachutes. During a fuelling stop in Seattle, the other passengers were let off the plane.
A short time after leaving Seattle, Cooper strapped on one of the parachutes, opened the jet's rear door in-flight and jumped with the $200,000. Despite determined efforts by the FBI, neither the hijacker nor all of the money has ever been found.
In December, 2007, the FBI reopened its investigation into the case, releasing previously unseen photographs of evidence tied to the mid-air heist.
Mr. Cook said he has submitted Mr. Gossett's fingerprints to the FBI field office in Seattle, hoping that they match the skyjacker's.
FBI special agent Larry Carr told the Province newspaper the case has been the subject of an intense investigation.
"People are profoundly interested in this case," he said.
Agent Carr said agents have yet to make any link between Mr. Gossett and the man who jumped from the plane.
"There is no evidence to put Mr. Gossett in the Pacific Northwest in November, 1971," he said. "No aspect of the story [by Cook] can be verified."
Agent Carr said he believes the man who jumped from the plane did not survive. "I believe Cooper paid for the jump with his life," he said.
Mr. Gossett's son Kirk Gossett, 51, has no doubts -- he believes his dad was the hijacker. He lives in Gilbert, Ariz., and works at the state prison as a corrections officer.
"I honestly believe my father did that jump," he said. "He was a parachutist and had experience in low-level jumping."
And when his father talked in his dying days of being D. B. Cooper, Mr. Gossett said he felt it was true. "Every time he told me about D. B. Cooper, his story never changed," said Mr. Gossett.
He also recalls taking a trip in 1973 to Vancouver with his father. "It was a strange trip."
After spending the day in Vancouver, Mr. Gossett said they unexpectedly left for Seattle the next day. "In the morning he told me he had some business to do and about three hours later he came back and said, 'I've got everything done, it's time to go back home,' " he said. He said he believes his father had a safety deposit box at a bank in Vancouver.
The only evidence that has ever been positively identified as coming from the skyjacking is $6,000 in cash that was discovered along the banks of the Columbia River in 1980. The bills were waterlogged and destroyed, but their serial numbers were among those on the list of currency given to Cooper.
The rest of the money has never been found. The serial numbers on all of the $20 bills given to the hijacker were recorded by the authorities, but not one of the missing bills has ever turned up in circulation.
"We're working on the theory that Gossett had a safety deposit box in Vancouver," Mr. Cook said.
Walter
Hope and radiance of Olympics dulled by one man's action
So the Olympic message gets muted, and the symbolic doves were barely out of the stadium. Peace and brotherhood are the goals here, and not just winning the discus and badminton. An extraordinary Opening Ceremony had told us so.
And now there is a murder to investigate.
We are not sure yet why the American volleyball coach's father-in-law had to die in front of his family Saturday, when all he wanted was be another tourist at the Beijing Drum Tower.
Someone stabbed him to death barely five miles from the Olympic flame. Two more were injured, his wife seriously so. The killer committed suicide, using a tower leap as his exit.
Suddenly, the Olympics did not seem quite as happy, or quite as safe. But we don't yet know why.
The crowds were barely seated at the first round of events when the news spread Saturday. The word reached as far as the Great Wall, where the cycling road race was finishing. This is what the Olympics are supposed to be on their first day, riders grinding through the Juyongguan Pass where Genghis Khan used to roam. Not crime scenes.
For the record, Beijing now has as many victims of violence as Atlanta. A lousy number to share.
The motive is still not understood. Can we agree on what we're all thinking? Did some Beijing head case go out looking for Americans?
If not that, more routine answers might have to be explored. Robbery. Madness? Simply the urge to kill? China has not seen much trouble of this sort. The man might have taken his twisted rationale with him when he jumped.
It seemed unfathomable, regardless of reason. This is a city with security on red alert, and police on every corner. You can't swing a shopping bag without hitting soldiers marching down the street. Somewhere out there, too, are missiles and helicopters and metal detectors.
All that, and one man kills another in broad daylight, at a busy landmark. The Chinese have been desperately waiting on the sun for their Olympics. But here came a dark cloud.
Should we be afraid now, or just sad at how quickly bad news can strike, 12 hours after the fireworks closed a stirring Opening Ceremony?
There was such a strong message Friday night about sport's place in a better world. Obviously, one future killer was not paying attention.
Something quickly comes to mind about this assault; Beijing's chosen slogan for its Games. "One world, one dream."
We are all in this together, is the general idea. More alike than we know.
And here, suddenly, is bloody proof.
A story with such malice might be rare in China, but it is nothing new on the other side of the world. In the USA, the story of a senseless fatal attack followed by a suicide leap would hardly qualify as news.
On Saturday, then, China looked an awful lot like us. This is probably not the one world the Olympic hosts had in mind.
They must be mortified by the act. No expense has been spared in energy or cash to put on this gala. China has tried to woo the world with its contented masses, and now one sick soul has made his own headlines.
By Saturday evening, there was sand spread on the pavement near the scene, presumably where the killer leapt to his death. An 800-year-old tower had become part of the Beijing Games, and also part of America's view of them.
The Olympics go on, though. The USA meets Venezuela Sunday, with an unexpected dose of poignancy.
Meantime, the Chinese police have a case to crack. Garden variety street crime, or terrorist attack? It'd certainly be good to know. Meanwhile, this raises serious questions regarding the safety of both athletes and tourists, be they American, Australian, French, Japanese, etc.
Walter
Friday Night/Saturday Morning Ramblings
Every once in while, I like to treat myself. Sometimes, it isn't the treat(s) that make you smile and make you laugh, but the surprises along the way.
It was a typical long ass Friday - up at 4:00am, home by 7:00pm. I took an hour riding my cycle up and down along the Ocmulgee River Trail that stretches a good 2.5 miles end-to-end. By the time I got home, I was spent. Called dad to talk about politics: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a fake and got mail from the RNC (Republican National Convention) begging for more money. But more on all that in future posts.
So I flaked out on the bed with the fan on and thought about dinner.
I thought, "It's treat night!"
Time to spend some money and have some stupid fun before the dollar collapses. So I headed to the shower, got dressed - black Izod golf shirt, khaki shorts, Bass boat shoes - and headed to Longhorn since I was dying for a steak with mashed potatoes. On the way, I called & talked to Sara, the hostess at Longhorn to confirm whether or not I needed a reservation - after all, it was Friday night.
"How many in your party, Walter?"
"Just me", I said. "I'm taking myself out on a date."
Sara gave a pregnant pause, "Oh, then no problem seating you when you get in."
"Okay, see ya in a few." Trying not to sound pathetic. It was really the first time going out to dinner since my deflating breakup in late June.
I found a parking spot and zoomed right in and headed for the door. I got seated in seconds flat, at a table near the bar where the other relationship losers were dining, staring at the TV. The opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics were on, so that was cool. I made my order, then was served quickly and left in peace to eat. Wow, that steak was good.
While I was eating, a REALLY attractive blonde in shorts walked to the bar, ordered takeout and a beer to nurse until then. I tried not to notice, I mean, one never wants to seem "obvious." So I was partially transfixed on the ceremony complete with the flying closed caption. You know, you look down to eat, you miss a lot of text!
I noticed the blonde was looking right at me when I looked up toward the bar and it's double TVs. I smiled and looked away at the other TV like I was comparing views, as if it made any difference. The fact is every time I looked in her direction, she was looking at me; not over my head, not in some general direction kind of look; AT ME.
To make a long story short, as she was leaving, she put her name and number on my table. Also written on the napkin were these words: "Nice guys don't eat by themselves on a Friday night. Call me if you have dinner alone again." Did I look THAT pathetic?
I starred at the note, then smiled and put it in my wallet. The steak seemed to be more tender, the tea tasted sweeter than before. I continued watching the games until I finished, and signed the check.
I knew I'd be heading to Wal-Mart before the night was over. It was inevitable. I don't like Wally World. It's customer service is more like customer no-service, hard to find help there, and If I DO get a shot at finding someone who gives a rat's ass, it's hard to talk to them without laughing. The white, red neck Southerner stereotype: they ain't got no teeth or really anything that one would call a tooth. Sounds of "Deliverance" banjos and the Confederate Battle Flag dancing in my head. I'm a Southerner so I can say this about them, God forgive me.
Anyway, I make a beeline to the movie section. I think I have the largest DVD movie collection this side of the Chattahoochee River and I just added another $112 worth with the late Heath Ledger Triple Feature (A Knight's Tale, Lords of Dogtown, and The Patriot), The Star Wars Trilogy, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (I already have White Castle), The Riddock Trilogy starring Vin Diesel and finally the Star Trek TNG Legacy Interactive PC Game. I'm not much for gaming - too couch potatoie for me, but I like the battle scenarios as much as I enjoy the challenges of anything SIM-related.
Which leads me to this moment in time. All in all a great treatful ending in many ways to cap off a busy, heavy, but great week. Like tonight, life is a journey. Enjoy the ride. What a treat!
See you for the weekend posts!
Walter
It was a typical long ass Friday - up at 4:00am, home by 7:00pm. I took an hour riding my cycle up and down along the Ocmulgee River Trail that stretches a good 2.5 miles end-to-end. By the time I got home, I was spent. Called dad to talk about politics: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a fake and got mail from the RNC (Republican National Convention) begging for more money. But more on all that in future posts.
So I flaked out on the bed with the fan on and thought about dinner.
I thought, "It's treat night!"
Time to spend some money and have some stupid fun before the dollar collapses. So I headed to the shower, got dressed - black Izod golf shirt, khaki shorts, Bass boat shoes - and headed to Longhorn since I was dying for a steak with mashed potatoes. On the way, I called & talked to Sara, the hostess at Longhorn to confirm whether or not I needed a reservation - after all, it was Friday night.
"How many in your party, Walter?"
"Just me", I said. "I'm taking myself out on a date."
Sara gave a pregnant pause, "Oh, then no problem seating you when you get in."
"Okay, see ya in a few." Trying not to sound pathetic. It was really the first time going out to dinner since my deflating breakup in late June.
I found a parking spot and zoomed right in and headed for the door. I got seated in seconds flat, at a table near the bar where the other relationship losers were dining, staring at the TV. The opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics were on, so that was cool. I made my order, then was served quickly and left in peace to eat. Wow, that steak was good.
While I was eating, a REALLY attractive blonde in shorts walked to the bar, ordered takeout and a beer to nurse until then. I tried not to notice, I mean, one never wants to seem "obvious." So I was partially transfixed on the ceremony complete with the flying closed caption. You know, you look down to eat, you miss a lot of text!
I noticed the blonde was looking right at me when I looked up toward the bar and it's double TVs. I smiled and looked away at the other TV like I was comparing views, as if it made any difference. The fact is every time I looked in her direction, she was looking at me; not over my head, not in some general direction kind of look; AT ME.
To make a long story short, as she was leaving, she put her name and number on my table. Also written on the napkin were these words: "Nice guys don't eat by themselves on a Friday night. Call me if you have dinner alone again." Did I look THAT pathetic?
I starred at the note, then smiled and put it in my wallet. The steak seemed to be more tender, the tea tasted sweeter than before. I continued watching the games until I finished, and signed the check.
I knew I'd be heading to Wal-Mart before the night was over. It was inevitable. I don't like Wally World. It's customer service is more like customer no-service, hard to find help there, and If I DO get a shot at finding someone who gives a rat's ass, it's hard to talk to them without laughing. The white, red neck Southerner stereotype: they ain't got no teeth or really anything that one would call a tooth. Sounds of "Deliverance" banjos and the Confederate Battle Flag dancing in my head. I'm a Southerner so I can say this about them, God forgive me.
Anyway, I make a beeline to the movie section. I think I have the largest DVD movie collection this side of the Chattahoochee River and I just added another $112 worth with the late Heath Ledger Triple Feature (A Knight's Tale, Lords of Dogtown, and The Patriot), The Star Wars Trilogy, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (I already have White Castle), The Riddock Trilogy starring Vin Diesel and finally the Star Trek TNG Legacy Interactive PC Game. I'm not much for gaming - too couch potatoie for me, but I like the battle scenarios as much as I enjoy the challenges of anything SIM-related.
Which leads me to this moment in time. All in all a great treatful ending in many ways to cap off a busy, heavy, but great week. Like tonight, life is a journey. Enjoy the ride. What a treat!
See you for the weekend posts!
Walter
Friday, August 8, 2008
2008 Beijing Olympic Games - Musings
The organizers were confident it will be a spectacular curtain-raiser to what will be judged one of the great Olympic Games.
Competition in 16 of the 28 sports begins tomorrow. Players in the football tournament, which is already under way, will also take to the field. Seven golds will be available on day one of the Games.
There are nearly 11,000 athletes competing for more than 1,000 medals in 302 events.
There has been growing concern about the poor quality of the air in 
China has spent $22 billion on hosting the Olympic Games - three times more than Greece did in Athens four years ago - and when the opening ceremony was staged no expense was be spared. It featured 15,000 performers and 29,000 fireworks.
Under the guidance of the film director Zhang Yimou, the three-hour ceremony began at
It ended with the lighting of the Olympic flame. There is no sign of a cauldron on the steel structures of the iconic "Bird's Nest" Stadium, the focal point of the dazzling array of new facilities that have been built here.
Despite worldwide protests over
The order of countries in the parade will be dictated by Chinese characters rather than European alphabets. Attempts to persuade South and
Security was intense and the weather was the biggest threat to the smooth running of the opening ceremony. The last week has been dominated by concerns over the smog that continued to hang over the city yesterday, but the problem could now be rain, which is forecast to be falling for the next few days.
I know of many people who refuse to have anything to do with the Olympic Games let alone the Olympic Spirit. Yes, these are troubling and serious times that offer a clear and present danger to the everyday Joe: worldwide economy, fuel, food, disease, etc. But in the tradition of the Olympic Games, I think it's truly amazing to get all these countries with their exceptional athletes in a friendly spirit of competition all under one roof. Think about it - nobody can get along, but here we are playing (or trying to play) nice together.
The ones I know who don't like the Olympics have various reasons such as they have no clue how to think globally - as if they are the only ones on the planet, or they disagree with China's human rights record, or even they are suffering severe bouts of paranoia with the whole new world order thing.
Well, we are not the only ones on the planet. Americans don't rule the world and everyone isn't Christian and democratic, loves red, white and blue, hot dogs and apple pie. Get over it. Such a limited view of the world is, well, either ignorant or arrogant. And while China has it's share of understanding what human rights is in a communist society, give them time. Just about every country on earth has done the same. Read world history so I won't have to rehash it for you. And the New World Order? Well, it's coming whether you like it or not, but in doing so, the world ushers in dramatic and swift changes that will finally culminate in what I believe will be the appearance of the Messiah. I know it's strange - a scientist talking about the end of the world and the Christ coming back to pull out a can of whoop-ass on evil and saving humanity from it's own sin and (well deserved) destruction, but it's what I believe, so deal with it. Anyone who is familiar with good ol American football knows nothing good will happen unless you can get that pigskin through a mean defensive line for 100 yards. Folks, we haven't even come out of the huddle yet.
I am really looking forward to the gymnastics, equestrian and swimming - 3 of my favorite events from the 1996 Atlanta Games. Fun times in the town Sherman burned!
So sit back, grab a loved one and enjoy the games; revel in true-to-life, reality TV, and root for your team. Otherwise, go find something constructive to do for the next 16 days.
Walter
Anthrax Maker's Suicide: Doesn't Add Up
Like Lee Harvey Oswald, another alleged government stooge is dead. Was it really suicide or murder?
The suicide of Dr. Bruce Ivins, a prime suspect in the 2001 anthrax mail poisonings will certainly give the conspiracy jobbers something to wag their tongues about for a few days. But until a little more information becomes available, I would hold to the facts and not speculate too forcefully – yet. Meanwhile, American authorities have said they are "firmly convinced" that a government bio-weapons expert who committed suicide last week was the only person responsible for the 2001 deadly anthrax attacks.
Ivins, 62, a microbiologist at an Army bio-defence research laboratory in Fort Detrick, Maryland, died from a suspected overdose of prescription drugs (Codine 3) as investigators were preparing to charge him with murder.
There are certainly troubling aspects to the idea that the anthrax attacks were planned and carried out by an employee who works in a government lab. And the strange way the investigation was handled by the FBI and the Army leaves many questions unanswered.
There is also the timing of the attacks – so soon after 9/11 that at the time, it was easy to believe America was under attack by Islamic militants on several fronts.
To those inclined to believe the worst of Bush and the American government, the answer is simple; Ivins was a tool of the Administration and that the "Hawks" sought to gin up fear of terrorism to pass their dictatorial agenda that included the Patriot Act and other domestic spy initiatives. He didn’t commit suicide but was killed to keep him quiet.
Nice movie script but several problems are immediately apparent. First, according to this LA Times article, Ivins had been depressed for months, had run out of money to pay for legal fees, and actually told his therapist he wanted to commit suicide.
Secondly, there’s the FBI. Reviewing the investigation of the anthrax attacks until 2006 is a study in incompetence by the FBI and the Army. Is it possible they deliberately blew the investigation in order to keep the plot from being exposed? Conspiracists will make that argument. I reject it because all too often, human error and coincidence is the much simpler and therefore more realistic explanation. It may very well be that the Army didn’t want to know if anyone from their lab was involved – a plausible explanation when considering the bureaucratic mindset at work in the lab’s own investigation of Ivins for an incident regarding a possible anthrax “spill” that the suspect never reported to his superiors. Covering up lax safety at the lab by not disciplining Ivins is perfectly in keeping with the way some in the Army bureacracy might operate. If that reflects badly on the Army, I’m sorry but we have seen similar cover ups over the years.
Secondly, there’s the FBI. Reviewing the investigation of the anthrax attacks until 2006 is a study in incompetence by the FBI and the Army. Is it possible they deliberately blew the investigation in order to keep the plot from being exposed? Conspiracists will make that argument. I reject it because all too often, human error and coincidence is the much simpler and therefore more realistic explanation. It may very well be that the Army didn’t want to know if anyone from their lab was involved – a plausible explanation when considering the bureaucratic mindset at work in the lab’s own investigation of Ivins for an incident regarding a possible anthrax “spill” that the suspect never reported to his superiors. Covering up lax safety at the lab by not disciplining Ivins is perfectly in keeping with the way some in the Army bureacracy might operate. If that reflects badly on the Army, I’m sorry but we have seen similar cover ups over the years.
Soon after the government’s settlement with Hatfill was
announced June 27, Ivins began showing signs of serious strain.
announced June 27, Ivins began showing signs of serious strain.
One of his longtime colleagues told The Times that Ivins,who was being treated for depression, indicated to a therapist that he was considering suicide.
Soon thereafter, family members and local police officers escorted Ivins from USAMRIID, where his access to sensitive areas was curtailed, the colleague said.
The FBI, however, knew of Ivins activities in cleaning anthrax from lab areas at Fort Detrick and still never made him a focus of the investigation. It wasn’t until FBI chief Mueller kicked out the agents heading the inquiry in 2006 and replaced them that movement towards Ivins began.Why did the FBI concentrate their investigation instead on Stephen Hatfill, recipient of more than $5 million in a settlement agreed to just a few months ago and another employee at the lab? While demonstrating a breathtaking incompetence,this fact alone absolves the government of any conspiracy in my mind for the simple fact it would be stupid to make someone from the same lab as Ivins a suspect if there was a plot afoot. There are other labs they could have grabbed a patsy from while deflecting attention from Ivins. Therefore, we can almost certainly conclude that the FBI would not be part of any plot.
This is not to say that a thorough investigation shouldn’t immediately be undertaken by either a bi-partisan Congressional or independent panel that would examine all aspects of the case - including possible conspiracies. This matter went unresolved for entirely too long and whether it was incompetence or just bad luck, answers must be found regarding the Army and the FBI’s investigation of both Hatfill – whose case is strange indeed – and Ivins.
This case is far from closed. But I would urge everyone to wait upon the facts before connecting any dots – even if those dots are tempting one to posit conspiracies about the matter. Because at bottom, in order to believe in a government conspiracy to ratchet up fear following 9/11, one must suppose something so monstrous at the core of our government that if proven correct, will bring the United States to ruin.
Walter
Walter
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