Rumours Stay Rumours

The US has, of course, issued a statement declaring that Hersh's claims (see previous post) are unfounded. Kinda funny how I found this on BBC and not CNN.

The military plan is always 'on the table'. But the tactical nuking...that's a bit much. Aren't we not supposed to use any sort of WMD? You know, to keep the oil coming? It's a lot of oil you know.

Anyhow, I'm sure Bush is very frustrated at the moment for not being able, politically and financially, to put the smack down on Iran. I'm really not sure they can do the hit on Syria either, though I would assume if they were gonna bomb someone, it would be Syria. You can expect that after a month of "Syria has WMDs". Really. I don't think they even want regime change. The US would love that. I don't think the US will actively partake in regime changes for many years to come just by looking back at Iraq. Carptet bombing is so much easier and doesn't have nearly as much hassle.

Rumours of USA Nuking Iran "Strategically", Iran calls Bull*@#$

Yeah, we must all fall in fear from the implications. Please, the suspense is killing me, get it over with.

So Seymoure Hersh, who helped us by reporting the Abu Ghraib incident (actually it's incidents), is now reporting that the US has plans to use 'tactical nuclear weapons' and bunker buster bombs on Iran's nuclear facilities, of which there are many. Some say too many.

Iran says screw the yankees, they're just playing games. I'm paraphrasing of course.

Really though, if you're gonna start the next world war, just say so, and get on with it. What's with the secrecy?

Now, saying that the US will actually do what Hersh says they might do is kinda stretching it. I mean, maybe Bush could impulsively just call for it, press the shiny red button and get news of "operation successful" or "operation failure" and have his script writers work overtime. But it's highly unlikely. For example, the US has the Israelis to worry about. Maybe Iran doesn't have a nuke yet, but they can still make a huge mess of the Israelis, if only psychologically. So Iran has that missile that reaches the Israelis, or that spanky new torpedo no ship can dodge (the US and others have quite a few expensive ships in the Gulf, right in range of the Iranians). All that and what did the US do? Bomb a few installations. Delay the problem? It just comes back. It's such poor planning, and the after-effects are so wide-ranged with no possible good outcome. If such a thing were to happen (and I give it a 3% chance with a possible chance of error at +3%-) then I just want to know how the Americans would react. More peaceful demonstrations? Is there even a lobby for this sort of thing? Write letters. Oooh, such action, Congress would just have to do something. But there's nothing you can do.

Pre-emptive strikes are balogna. To me, they just aren't justifiable. If they are, the US has made terrible examples of when to make pre-emptive strikes.

A little off-topic. Everyone cries about Hezbollah 'taking orders' from Iran. I see a similar relationship between the US and the Israelis. It's harder to see the relationship between the US and the Israelis though. I mean, if the US never supported the Israelis, not only would there have been peace a LONG time ago, the relationship between the US and the middle east would never have been better. There's simply very little use that I can see in their relationship. Instead of being mutual, it's more like the Israelis are the only ones with an advantage.

But hey, they're Chosen.

The Government is Watching You...Again

How many times have we heard about Big Brother schemes, by the government or businesses, acted shocked and then totally forgot about it, going on with our lives as if no one hears us or sees us. Well, I'm here to remind you.

That link is to an article about an AT&T whistleblower saying that there is a secret room, which he witnessed and worked on from the outside, that has a data mining system which basically can sift through calls and data from the internet looking for specific words.

I wonder what happens now? Do we always just let 'the law' do its thing? Is there another option for us? Do we go to D.C. to demonstrate with no results whatsoever save maybe getting on the front page of a couple of newspapers? Or maybe we simply rely on the statesmen who we never knew about before we voted, writing letters of concern and encouraging others (who scoff at this supposed hopelessness) to do the same. I'm just musing, of course, because I don't really know or trust any person or group to really speak for me. Is that what lobbying is for? I always thought of lobbying as a kind of retarded thing. Like raise money for this senator's election. Then again, these statesmen don't know much do they? Wow, politics sucks.

And how do you start a lobbying group? Maybe I should start here.

Latest Links

First from shacknews.com:

Was Judas really so bad?
If you want your flowers to grow short, try liquor.
Of course drug companies care for us. Why wouldn't they?
Homophobic, or is it just a need of "personal space"?

And using StumbleUpon:
Rock, Paper Saddam (parts I and deux).
Woah...political Science students and amateurs: this is awesome.
The future the way I like it.
Science in War.
This is probably my first and last time posting a game. I couldn't help this one.

World's Fourth Largest Oil Producer Imports 25% of Petrol Needs

Yeah, it's Iran.

You'll need this background information to digest first. Iran is finally declaring a ban on busses and minibusses that use diesel. That'll happen in two years time. Now, if you know about the pollution problems, particularly in the capital, Tehran, you'll know that schools close literally for weeks on bad pollution days. That's how bad it gets. Will banning diesel solve the problem? Well, I've seen this ban set in motion in another country: Lebanon. The difference in air quality is huge. The problem, and this is why I titled the headline this way, is that you have to use regular gas instead of diesel. You'd think Iran has enough gas, being such a big producer of oil. Um, no. It actually does import 25% of its requirements. And guess what? That 25% is now, what do you think it'll be when they ban diesel? So Iran is going to start rationing petrol...in September. I don't know about you, but I would hate that. Maybe the rationing is for public transportation, I don't know. Also, gas is cheap in Iran only because the government subsidizes it (it's like 20 cents a gallon or less). Of course, with Iran making so much cash from the expensive gas we all buy today (though the U.S. only imports a small percentage of Iranian oil for itself) they may be able to afford this. I don't know. Maybe if the UN sanctions them there'll be more pressure on Iran than we previously thought?

Anyways, I thought it was interesting.

Blog Update

I made a new section in my sidebar. Recent Comments. I figure that may cause some posts to be a little more lively even if that post was forgotten. On the other hand, it only shows recent comments for posts that are on my page...So maybe I should post less?

Post Blitz

Yeah, I'm just typing these off when I should be sleeping. So here's the last bit for today, from Shacknews.com's Evening Reading:

The day has come. Windows on a Mac. I can't wait to do this one day.

Aw Jeez, can't our politicians be stupid outside of public?

NPR vs. Podcasts

For those of you who are intelligent, you obviously listen to NPR, when possible. And if you listen to NPR, you are getting SO DAMN SICK of those fund drives. I remember talking with a friend of mine who said that if he could get rid of those fund drives by paying money, he'd pay, but the problem is that the fund drives DON'T go away. So this is what people do now, they listen to podcasts of the shows. So if we don't think about it, we simply get bliss, which is what ignorance happens to equate to (until you suffer from disease and die...sorry).

For those of you who combat ignorance, read this, and rethink your strategy. Unless you're poor. Then it's cool.

Latest Links

Um, I don't feel secure, and neither should little girls.

Would you like to have perfect memory? I would, but I wouldn't be able to marry someone who does.

Click here for BBC's news on science. You should just bookmark it, really.

How crazy is our world? This crazy.

Apparently, our Secretary of State is humble.

Um, craziest designs of buildings ever. No really, this, you HAVE to click.

Do you like FREE STUFF. I do. Especially when it's software. Here, take a piece.

I never could solve the Rubik's cube. But now I can. I won't, but at least I know I can.

Would you like to learn how to do stuff? Great, cuz that's what this site is called.

Do you have a relative over-seas? Want to know if they got hit by an earthquake or something?

Here you go. Don't thank me, go save your relatives.

Cute kids who are...pretty excited to say the least. It's a flash movie.

Oh Iran, How Cocky Art Thou

So, Iran is strutting its stuff. Come on, testing 3 highly capable missiles/rockets/torpedos in one week? People might say that Iran is overdoing it, or that they're provoking the U.S. and other countries that are leaning against it. I don't think so, though. Sure, Iran's provoked before. Not really for the point of provoking, I would think. But they're just not being politically correct since this new president. I can't say I don't like him, he provides for, how should I say this...comedy. I mean, we might say that Bush is a retard, and we could pretty much prove it. But the Iranian president? Nobody is saying he's stupid, just that he's pushing buttons. At least he believes in equal opportunity. If he was Lebanese, I'd say he was from Baalbek :P Also, he looks so non-threatening. I've heard people say that he's just 'cute' because he's so short, humble and is basically a part of the grass-roots. It's just funny.

Oh yeah, so my theory is that Iran doesn't have much to lose. Maybe the EU is fuming, but I think that the U.S. would treat Iran the same way if they played nice. I mean, the U.S. is not going to change Iran from "terrorist-supporting regime" to "staunch ally" anytime soon. Actually, I'd make a bet that it would be never. Even Hezbollah, who's on the U.S.'s terroist list, has simply grown bored over remarks that they're terrorists. At least they have their arguments. I've read some remarks from idiots (the ones that put the 'neo' in neocons) on the 'net that show such ignorance over world dynamics it simply pains me. Because I know there're plenty of people will believe their crap. Oh well.

*update*
While I was looking for links for the post above (yes, I was actually looking for them...with StumbleUpon :P ) I found this website, which is...pretty interesting. I haven't read it yet, but if you're interested in military action against Iran (and who isn't?) here's a special link. It's just for you.

More Links You Might Like

Since these are NOT from Shacknews.com, and I actually found these myself, I made a separate post :D

Lasers of today are WAY cool.
Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science get together to create political chaos. There's only one way to do that. Go after AIPAC (Basically the Israeli Lobbyists).
Download the .pdf here.
Read comments of Noam Chomsky here.

Evening Reading (from Shacknews.com)

I don't know if 'you people' read the Evening Reading section of Shacknews.com, but if you're a mild surfer of the 'net, it's required reading. So, I'm going to show these links off (where appropriate) and you all can just tell me to stop or something. Otherwise I'll keep going. (Have I done this before?).

So here's a few:
Patent law is just too much.
Do you want a secure phone that can avoid the NSA?
Another reason for Arabs to make fun of America.

Top Ten Internet Spoofs

Since April The First is about to end, I thought I'd link to an appropriate website (link is ripped from somewhere else as usual) which shows the Top Ten Internet Spoofs and I think it's pretty good. Not great, just...worth clicking I guess.

So click.

April Fools

So today the Internet goes wild with retarded stories and events. There was a couple that I liked though. One was www.slashdot.com . Oh man, what a contrast to the site all geeks congregate towards every morning (except me, go figure). Really cool and hilarious what they did.

Then there's Google. I noticed on their homepage one of their 'new' services at the bottom, where they always advertise their new stuff, like Froogle, etc. So now there's a Google Romance. Oh man, I didn't know what to expect. But it's just hilarious. Go through the FAQ as well, I didn't try the tour or anything, but it's funny stuff. Here's to another year of Google becoming the new software empire :P

http://www.google.com/romance/

Review of Lebanon

It's been a while since I talked about Lebanon, I think. So here's an article from the Daily Star giving a small summary of some of Hezbollah's social services and means of funding. It's interesting if you know nothing about Hezbollah except that they are on the U.S. terrorist list (they don't seem to care that much). Here's an excerpt:

Earlier this week, Washington froze the U.S.-based assets of the Al-Manar
satellite television station and the Al-Nour radio station, along with those
of parent company Lebanese Media Group, said to be closely linked to
Hizbullah.

If you want even more detailed information about Hezbollah (they're pretty much what keeps Lebanon on the news) try reading this book. I've read more than half of the book, and I can say that it has rare material not seen in, how should I say this, less objective media. Or just go to your library, that's usually what I do. Nothing better than free (using Henry Ford Company's taxes :P).
*update* I forgot to place a link to the Daily Star article. Oops. All fixed now.

Rice Says Iran Can Have Their Nuke...Technology

CNN.com, while not always my favorite news source, has this story. Yay, Iran? I don't remember what the original crying was about, but now it's down to "enrichment". I don't know, I think Iran will stick to its guns (oops, should I say guns?) stubbornly. I don't think there would have been any difference if Khatami (a so-called moderate) was president instead of Ahmadinejad (sp?) since this issue probably gets resolved by the Spiritual Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khamenai. He can basically put his hand where he wants, that's the Spiritual Leader's capability, hence Iran not being (or claiming to be) a democracy. It's kinda like the monarchy, only not. From what I know, the Spiritual Leader doesn't pick the next leader, it's a group of 'conservative' clerics (usually very well known) who pick the next one.

So what's their basis for 'best leader'? One who understands Islam to the highest degree (in comparison to the rest of the clerics) and who can apply his understanding to the evolving happenings of the coming days. Vague? Maybe, it's just my definition. I've seen better, but my memory has always been rusty. Basically, many clerics have a pretty good understanding of Islam, but can they lead a people? Anways, if interested, you can always look this stuff up. Iranians who don't like this set-up will be complaining that it sucks, and Iranians who like this set-up are probably where you'll find the sort of definition I put above.

I've always noticed that some people with a heavy bias leave information out of there commentaries and arguments. I really hate that. I mean, sure you'll want to spin it your way (that's how bias works) but you don't have to leave information out. It peeves me, if you will. I realize I'm going to hear another view, but if you leave out data that better allows me to analyze things for myself instead of just taking your opinion, then I'm going to hold that against you(from what I can tell, this applies to most American media...I haven't really checked other media tho :P). In the case of Iranians who aren't satisfied with the current government and the ones who are, I'd be cynical with both. I don't like it when a cleric has a shallow understanding of things (and worse, bases his information on people's general talk instead of proven facts) or when the other side simply babbles on about how he can't hold his girlfriend's hand in public (this is always what Iranians seem to complain about on ABCNews and the like, pretty pathetic on the News channel's part, they should ask better questions, go somewhere besides Tehran, the capital of Iran). I want all the information, why can't I have it?

And then there's the hate. Oh, that's the stuff that really depresses me. Have you ever seen posts on the Internet where people cuss out various Prophets of Religions? What the heck is that? If you're literate enough to post, I would think you'd have learned what respect is. There are man Muslims, Christians and Jews just living out their life and suddenly someone shoves this crap in their faces, totally demeaning not the religious groups, just themselves. At least the religious groups have the patience to face most crap that flies out of people's mouths, but cussing a Prophet, or a religion, or even a respected member of a religion, it just goes too far. How do you argue with this guy/gal? They don't use logic to come to a conclusion. So do you reason with them? Beat them down? Create a law so you can just call the police?

All I can say is, at least the religious groups have something to look forward to. I've always thought of this basic argument against becoming an atheist. If I become and atheist, there's nothing ahead of me (from there point of view). When I die, I just decompose and dissolve away. But if I stay a member of religion, then if I die, I either go to Heaven (hopefully) or decompose, right next to the atheist. It's a win-win situation for the religious. There's no betting involved. Only the atheist bets, and it's just not the safest one.

Oh, if I said anything incorrect, please correct me (use the comments section right below this post).