Morning Report: June 30, 2004

Saddam, aides to go to Iraqi custody; arraignment Thursday. Saddam Hussein and eleven aides were transferred to the legal custody of the new Iraqi government on Wednesday, although the "dirty dozen" will remain in US legal custody. The deposed dictator will face formal charges in an Iraqi tribunal on Thursday, although the formal indictment may take months. US forces will retain custody of the prisoners until Iraqi security is ready to hold them. (CNN)

Alleged sex offender challenged to debate accuser. Bill Clinton, the former US President who was charged with sexual harassment, has been challenged to a debate by his alleged victim, Paula Jones. "I'm not embarrassed or ashamed to be out and meet him eye-to-eye and tell him he knows he did what he did to me. But Bill Clinton would never agree to something like that," Jones said. Jones' suit, filed in 1994, charged that Clinton, while he was still governor of Arkansas, groped her and exposed himself to her in a hotel room. The lawsuit was settled in November 1998, with a payment of $850,000 but no admission of wrongdoing by Clingon. (CNN)

Morning Report: June 28, 2004

IRAQI SOVEREIGNTY DECLARED TODAY. Morning Report is taking the day off to celebrate.

Iraq handover is TODAY!!!

Iraqi sovereignty suddenly brought forward to today, according to latest reports.

Is TNR becoming infested by moonbats?

Have lunar chiroptera begun nesting in the belfry of that last bastion of sane liberalism, The New Republic?

I've got to wonder. This week's print edition is devoted to the question: "Were We Wrong?" I'll post more on this just as soon as my snarkiness level rises to its full potential.

Morning Report: June 23, 2004

Iran to free British sailors. The Iran regime will free eight Royal Navy sailors detained earlier this week, reporting that it was convinced the crews crossed into Iranian territorial waters by mistake. Michael Ledeen has this to say about the incident.

Morning Report: June 17, 2004

MORNING REPORT - June 17, 2004
Questions about 9/11 Commssion. (various) The September 11 Commission has contradicted President Bush's claims about the alleged ties between al-Qaeda and Saddam's Ba'athist regime in Iraq. But is this an indictment of Bush, or of the Commission? Debka examines omissions and discrepancies in the Commission's report.
Andrew McCarthy's article in NRO raises some questions as well. And
CNN reports that Tony Blair's office is standing by its position, asserting that Saddam "created a permissive environment for terrorism and we know that the people affiliated to al Qaeda operated in Iraq during the regime".

Dreams Into Lightning has an Official Position on Item # 3

... and it may be found in the text of the Iran regime change petition.
You haven't signed the petition yet?

Well, what are you waiting for?

Morning Report: June 10, 2004

MORNING REPORT - JUNE 10, 2004

- Ronald Reagan dies. (various) Former president Ronald Reagan died last Sunday, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He is remembered favorably for his uncompromising stance on national security, which led to the US victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War. More problematic was his support for repressive regimes in Iraq, Iran, and Central America because of perceived American security interests.

- Banned Iraqi missile parts found in Jordan scrapyard. (AP) UN weapons inspection teams, on the trail of an Al Samoud 2 missile engine found in a scrapyard in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, discovered more than 20 banned Iraqi missile engines in a scrapyard in Jordan, according to a briefing given by weapons inspector Demetrius Perricos whose text the AP said it had obtained. The AP article says Perricos stressed the large quantity of scrap metal being exported out of Iraq.

AP: missile parts found

I've Been Your Fan Since Yesterday

I've just had one of those moments when nothing else mattered except music: not just any music, but that ONE BAND I feel like I've been waiting all my life to hear. In this case the band is Electrelane, a four-woman band from England. Their music is melodic, lyrical, moody, haunting. I heard their CD "The Power Out" yesterday at Everyday Music and had to buy it right away. Haven't taken it off the CD player since. Reminds me a little of the duo Dusty Trails (Vivian Trimble and Josephine Wiggs). Now I have to dig up all of Electrelane's EP's and singles.

The point of it all? Life goes on ... winning the war matters, but other stuff matters too. You've got to be able to enjoy life, or why bother? Freedom is for living.

Quote of the Day

"Anyone who thinks UN peacekeepers can protect Kurds against armed fundamentalist militias should do a Google search with the terms 'Rwanda, 1994' or 'Srebrenica, 1995'."
- Peter Beinart
The New Republic, June 7/14, 2004

The Best and the Brightest

Zeyad posts an article from the Los Angeles Times warning of the threat to Iraq's medical corps from the kidnapping of top doctors. Apparently it's an increasingly serious problem.

In Memoriam

My unit, the 1st Light Armored Infantry Battalion, 1st Marine Division, lost several men in January and February of 1991. We took the first combat-related losses of the ground offensive in Desert Storm. Please take a moment to visit the memorial page of the unit veterans' website:

1st LAI fallen comrades

Thank you.