Kofi Annan should step down: I normally don't print an article in full, but this letter to the Wall Street Journal by Senator Norm Coleman, Chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations must be read by anyone who wishes to opine on the United State's foreign policy. I was amazed over the holiday weekend, discussing politics with mostly anti-war relatives and friends, how few people are aware of this scandal or if they are aware of it how easily it is dismissed. For many critics of the war in Iraq, this scandal is just not answerable - so they ignore it.

Kofi Annan Must Go

By NORM COLEMAN
December 1, 2004; Page A10

It's time for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to resign.

Over the past seven months, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which I chair, has conducted an exhaustive, bipartisan investigation into the scandal surrounding the U.N. Oil-for-Food program. That noble program was established by the U.N. to ease the suffering of the Iraqi people, then languishing under Saddam Hussein's ironfisted rule, as well as the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq by the U.N. after the first Gulf War. While sanctions were designed to instigate the removal of Saddam from power, or at least render him impotent, the Oil-for-Food program was designed to support the Iraqi people with food and other humanitarian aid under the watchful eye of the U.N.


Our Investigative Subcommittee has gathered overwhelming evidence that Saddam turned this program on its head. Rather than erode his grip on power, the program was manipulated by Saddam to line his own pockets and actually strengthen his position at the expense of the Iraqi people. At our hearing on Nov. 15, we presented evidence that Saddam accumulated more than $21 billion through abuses of the Oil-for-Food program and U.N. sanctions. We continue to amass evidence that he used the overt support of prominent members of the U.N., such as France and Russia, along with numerous foreign officials, companies and possibly even senior U.N. officials, to exploit the program to his advantage. We have obtained evidence that indicates that Saddam doled out lucrative oil allotments to foreign officials, sympathetic journalists and even one senior U.N. official, in order to undermine international support for sanctions. In addition, we are gathering evidence that Saddam gave hundreds of thousands -- maybe even millions -- of Oil-for-Food dollars to terrorists and terrorist organizations. All of this occurred under the supposedly vigilant eye of the U.N.

* * *

While many questions concerning Oil-for-Food remain unanswered, one conclusion has become abundantly clear: Kofi Annan should resign. The decision to call for his resignation does not come easily, but I have arrived at this conclusion because the most extensive fraud in the history of the U.N. occurred on his watch. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, as long as Mr. Annan remains in charge, the world will never be able to learn the full extent of the bribes, kickbacks and under-the-table payments that took place under the U.N.'s collective nose.

Mr. Annan was at the helm of the U.N. for all but a few days of the Oil-for-Food program, and he must, therefore, be held accountable for the U.N.'s utter failure to detect or stop Saddam's abuses. The consequences of the U.N.'s ineptitude cannot be overstated: Saddam was empowered to withstand the sanctions regime, remain in power, and even rebuild his military. Needless to say, he made the Iraqi people suffer even more by importing substandard food and medicine under the Oil-for-Food program and pawning it off as first-rate humanitarian aid.

Since it was never likely that the U.N. Security Council, some of whose permanent members were awash in Saddam's favors, would ever call for Saddam's removal, the U.S. and its coalition partners were forced to put troops in harm's way to oust him by force. Today, money swindled from Oil-for-Food may be funding the insurgency against coalition troops in Iraq and other terrorist activities against U.S. interests. Simply put, the troops would probably not have been placed in such danger if the U.N. had done its job in administering sanctions and Oil-for-Food.

This systemic failure of the U.N. and Oil-for-Food is exacerbated by evidence that at least one senior U.N. official -- Benon Sevan, Mr. Annan's hand-picked director of the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food oversight agency -- reportedly received bribes from Saddam. According to documents from the Iraqi oil ministry that were obtained by us, Mr. Sevan received several allotments of oil under Oil-for-Food, each of which was worth hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.

To make matters worse, the actions of Mr. Annan's own son have been called into question. Specifically, the U.N. recently admitted that Kojo Annan received more money than previously disclosed from a Swiss company named Cotecna, which was hired by the U.N. to monitor Iraq's imports under Oil-for-Food. Recently, there are growing, albeit unproven, allegations that Kofi Annan himself not only understands his son's role in this scandal -- but that he has been less than forthcoming in what he knew, and when he knew it.

As a former prosecutor, I believe in the presumption of innocence. Such revelations, however, cast a dark cloud over Mr. Annan's ability to address the U.N.'s quagmire. Mr. Annan has named the esteemed Paul Volcker to investigate Oil-for-Food-related allegations, but the latter's team is severely hamstrung in its efforts. His panel has no authority to compel the production of documents or testimony from anyone outside the U.N. Nor does it possess the power to punish those who fabricate information, alter evidence or omit material facts. It must rely entirely on the goodwill of the very people and entities it is investigating. We must also recognize that Mr. Volcker's effort is wholly funded by the U.N., at Mr. Annan's control. Moreover, Mr. Volcker must issue his final report directly to the secretary general, who will then decide what, if anything, is released to the public.

Therefore, while I have faith in Mr. Volcker's integrity and abilities, it is clear the U.N. simply cannot root out its own corruption while Mr. Annan is in charge: To get to the bottom of the murk, it's clear that there needs to be a change at the top. In addition, a scandal of this magnitude requires a truly independent examination to ensure complete transparency, and to restore the credibility of the U.N. To that end, I reiterate our request for access to internal U.N. documents, and for access to U.N. personnel who were involved in the Oil-for-Food program.

All of this adds up to one conclusion: It's time for Kofi Annan to step down. The massive scope of this debacle demands nothing less. If this widespread corruption had occurred in any legitimate organization around the world, its CEO would have been ousted long ago, in disgrace. Why is the U.N. different?

Huge Weapons Cache Found in Falluja: The New York Times reports on the discovery of large amounts of weapons in and around a mosque in Falluja (via Belmont Club):

United States marines and Iraqi soldiers today discovered the empty home of Abdullah Janabi, the insurgent leader of this city's mujahedeen council, and his bomb-laden mosque, where they found a massive supply of weapons that dwarfed any of the hundreds of caches yet found, military officials said.
...
Just inside the mosque compound was an aluminum shed full of mortars and TNT. Like many weapons depots in Falluja, it had been wired to explode, and had to be carefully dismantled by an American explosives team. Inside the compound was a document explaining how to destroy tanks using rocket-propelled grenades.
...
Also found in the house were files showing the names of people who had been tortured and executed for cooperating with the Americans and their allies, military officials said.

There were also more than 500 letters from the families of insurgents who had been killed or wounded, asking for compensation from Mr. Janabi, said a military translator on the scene. They included the families of fighters from Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Algeria, and about 100 native Fallujans.

Update: In attempt to have balance here I'll point you to this AP version of events (via Belmont Club).

Intel Bill Failure: For another perspective on why the intelligence reform bill was killed, Opinion Journal offers a better analysis than all the nonsense, speculation and demagoging on last Sunday's morning shows.

What He is Thankful For: Photoessay (via Instapundit) at One Hand Clapping 'blog. If you're getting the idea that Glenn Reynold's Instapundit 'blog is the source of many of my posts, it is. I recommend you check it out yourself.

What Does N.O.W. Think?: Check out these three women (via Instapundit). Don't just look at the picture, read the entire thing. If these women aren't profiled on Nightline, Dateline, Primetime Live, 20/20, etc. that is an affirmative editorial decision to not show this side of the war.

I've watched and recorded every episode of Nightline for the past 3 years (almost). One story after another about post-traumatic syndrome; children and spouses whining about their military mates being away; wounded and killed soldiers; Abu Gharib. And of course all those stories need to be told. But I've seen not one show profiling the rebuilding efforts, an analysis of the war's impact on terrorism (Gaddafi hands over weapons, Pakistan Nuke bazaar shut down, Saudi's forced to decide who to stand with - they choose U.S., freedom and elections in Afghanistan, etc.) or any other positive aspect of this war.

U.N. Worse Than Useless?: Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit says expect more bad news for Kofi & Co. on Monday. He has links. Some of the scandals and failures:

• U.N. Officials have sex with underage girls and using food and water to extort refugees into sex. and here.

• U.N. Staff votes "no-confidence" in U.N. leaders for their failure to deal with sexual harassment (and here) and patronage/favoritism allegations.

• $21 billion+ Food-for-Oil scandal.

• Failure to deal with slavery and genocide in Sudan.

• Failure to prevent Rawandan genocide.

Self-Defense of Murder? Example or Anomaly?: The Vang story out of Wisconsin, in which six were killed, was sent to me by a good friend as an example why firearms for self-defense are a bad idea - particularly Concealed Carry laws (CCW). It begins with Chris just sending me a copy of the story with the subject line: Locke and Guns. I knew what he meant, so this was my reply and the thread that followed:

Edward: That's why I never couch my gun advocacy in hunter's rights. This isn't an example of concealed carry. Hunters also don't have to pass any kind of firearms proficiency or special background check as CCW carriers do. They just pay for a hunter's license. 2 totally separate issues.

Chris: Ok, I'll concede that, but it's still a glaring example of stupid gun owners. How many more would be have if anyone could get a gun?

Edward: Anyone shouldn't be able to have a gun in public. Only people who pass a background check, have no criminal records or mental health issues, take and pass a firearms class that also teaches the law of self-defense - when it is justified and when it isn't.

Too bad someone didn't take this jerk out and save a few innocents. The story says there was only one gun among the victims. Perhaps if they'd had some way to defend themselves, they wouldn't have been slaughtered so defenselessly.

This guy was obviously a fucking asshole and even with gun control laws, he was able to do this. One thing even the most ardent gun control advocates know is that they'll never be able to ban hunting rifles. What is amazing is how many people go hunting every year and are totally responsible. We only hear about this rare incident - it is actually the first story of it's kind I've heard in my entire life. I've heard of hunting accidents, but never this. All those drunks with guns and this is the first time I've heard of a murder like this. That says a lot to those who presume people will just turn to murderers when they have a gun in their hands. They are wrong.

Chris: Defend themselves? They're all hunters and they all have guns, probably multiple guns. That didn't help them at all, they got riddled with bullets. And the semi-automatic hunting rifle didn't help matters. Why the hell are hunters allowed to carry semi-automatics? As if having a gun in the first place somehow makes hunting a challenge. Cowards.

It's not valid to call this massacre a failure of gun control laws. There are no laws in existence that could have stopped this bloodbath.

I agree, it is amazing that there are not a lot more of these kind of crazy hunting murders. Hunters are a different breed from the urban carry and conceal handgun owner.

To be fair, I very rarely hear about legal handgun owners using guns as they're intended, e.g. protection of self, family, and home. Your subsequent email is the first I've read in years. It just doesn't support the cc argument.

Edward: I'm still just reading your first paragraph, but the story said there was only one gun among all the victims. Most were unarmed. Ok.. Now I'll go read the rest of your note.

Chris: Which begs the question, where were they're guns?! The second group that got called in after the first two people got shot certainly had an opportunity to load a gun and bring it with them. It's crazy. What were they thinking? "My family is getting shot at, but I don't think I need my gun!"

If these experienced gun owners were not able to utilize their guns for protection, how can amateurs be expected to do any better? Where's the argument for self-protection?

Certainly the idea that guns *deter* crime is quashed here. Vang certainly must have realized he was dealing with hunters, who always have guns, yet he shot anyways. No fear. Worse, he lived to see another day because the gun owners failed to protect themselves.

Honestly, I don't see the argument for guns in this example.

Edward: Oh, I'm not looking at this case as anything having to do with the issue of firearms for self-defense. I'm finding it fascinating for its story value. From the latest reports, it sounds like the Anglos called their friends at the cabin before any shooting began.

If you recall, you started this thread using this story as a case study on firearms & self-defense. I made my case for the invalidity of that due to the anomalous nature of this case and the differences between obtaining a hunting license and the process of obtaining a CCW permit. I thought you agreed.

But not to leave an argument unanswered - One person's inability to utilize their options effectively is not the basis for denying those options to others. Even if 1000 people are slow to the draw, that is no reason to say I can't have a gun to protect my family, there is no logic in that. Because many people are incapable of forming cogent arguments certainly is no reason to ban free speech.

Vang told investigators he didn't realize he was on private property when he climbed the tree stand, according to the probable-cause statement released Tuesday. The county has thousands of acres of public hunting land, some of it "virtually around" the private property where the shooting occurred, Meier has said.

A hunter approached and told Vang he was on private property, and Vang started to leave as other hunters approached, the statement said. Vang said the hunters surrounded him and some called him racial slurs.

Vang said he started walking away but looked back to see the first hunter point his rifle at him and then fire a shot that hit the ground 30 to 40 feet behind him, the statement said.

Vang told investigators that's when he started firing at the group, according to the statement.

Five people died at the scene and a sixth died Monday in a hospital. Two others were wounded. The dead were identified as the landowner, Robert Crotteau, 42; his son Joey, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; Jessica Willers, 27; and Denny Drew, 55, who died Monday at St. Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield. Willers' father, Terry Willers, remained hospitalized Tuesday in fair condition, while the other wounded hunter was
released.

Officials said the victims were part of a group of 14 or 15 who made their opening-weekend trip to the 400-acre property an annual tradition.

"This was his first time out with that group. He was delighted to be invited," said Karen Roidt, mother of victim Mark Roidt.

According to an account Meier gave Monday, two or three hunters spotted a man in a hunting platform on Crotteau's land, then radioed back to the rest of the party at a nearby cabin and were told no one should be there. Meier did not indicate who the account came from.

One of the men asked the intruder to leave, while Crotteau and the others in the cabin hopped on their all-terrain vehicles and headed to the scene, according to the account.

Another aspect of this case that troubles me is the reaction from the Hmong community. Apparently fearing backlash, they have thrown Vang to the wolves. Compounding this sin is the media reporting on it as if what they think matters, and not putting it on context. I heard a radio report saying "Among the Hmong, there is little support for Vang. Most aren't buying his story of self-defense." Only because I read a pretty good newspaper article that went in depth into the cultural issues there and mentioned the fear of backlash, was I able to put the Hmong communities reaction in context. They have no more idea what happened in the woods that day than you or I - but they do have a reason to show the town that they are on the "Anglo's side."

Vang's arrest made some Hmong citizens in his hometown fearful of a backlash. Hmong leaders in St. Paul condemned the shootings Tuesday and offered
condolences to victims' families.

"What happened in Wisconsin is in no way representative of the Hmong people and what they stand for," said Cha Vang, who said he was representing "the greater law-abiding Hmong community." He is no relation to Chai Vang.

About 24,000 Hmong live in St. Paul, the highest concentration of any U.S. city.

The idea that they fired at shot in his direction as he was leaving is totally plausible in my experience - not to hit him, but some dumb stunt out of a Clint Eastwood movie (not anything Clint's character would do, but the toothless villains). As a trained ex-U.S. army soldier who earned the Marksman badge - I wouldn't be surprised that Vang took them all out so quick.

I want to know more about the time it took him to remove the scope from his rifle. That could be the linchpin in any self-defense argument when this comes to trial. We'll be hearing a lot more about that moment - the removal of the scope.

"The suspect got down from the deer stand, walked 40 yards, fiddled with his rifle. He took the scope off his rifle, he turned and he opened fire on the group," Meier said.

He was "chasing after them and killing them," Deputy Tim Zeigle said. "He hunted them down."

Authorities have said there was only one firearm among the eight hunters and it was unclear whether anyone returned fire.

Update: From today's Chicago Sun-Times via AP:

He said that he was told to get off the property, and as he started walking away, he turned back and saw Willers point a gun at him from about 100 feet away. He told investigators he immediately dropped to a crouch, and Willers shot at him, the bullet hitting the ground 30 to 40 feet behind Vang.

Vang said he removed the scope from his rifle and began firing, continuing to shoot as the group scattered. [Vang] said one of the victims, Joey Crotteau, tried to run away, but Vang chased him, got within 20 feet and shot him in the back. Crotteau, 20, was killed. Willers was wounded and was listed in fair condition Tuesday.

Vang said as he began to run, an ATV with two people drove past and he fired three or four times, causing both to fall off the machine. He said that he looked up the trail, saw that one of the men was standing, yelled, ''You're not dead yet?'' and fired one more shot in the man's direction. He said he did not know if he hit the man or not.
...
There have been previous clashes between Southeast Asian and white hunters in the region. Hunters have complained the Hmong do not understand the concept of private property and hunt wherever they want. The tension once led to a fistfight in Minnesota, and a Hmong bow hunter in Wisconsin this fall reported having at least two white hunters point guns at him.

Vang has admitted shooting the 20 year-old in the back after chasing him down?! There goes any case of self-defense.

I don't know where or when this picture was taken, but it's pretty cool. I got it from here, there is a ton of funny and wild pictures and videos.

Space Weaponry: Here are some pictures of the Soviet laser Space Battle Station. Now why don't we get together with them and build one we can both use to pick off terrorists.

Cinema: Slashdot has an article posted regarding the film-version of the amazing graphic novel, Watchmen.

U.N. Problems: When it rains it pours. Check out fellow PW's 'blog post on the UN abuses in the Congo.

Photo & Video 'blogging: I'm adding a 200GB drive to the 'blog server over the holiday weekend. I'm a professional videographer and moving my photography from hobby to pro (I'm loving my new Canon 20D), so I'll be adding a lot of video I've taken over the years. I guess I need to start getting out to the Counter-Protests in Chicago to take some pics and video.

If you've got video you want to post, we might be able to work something out. 200GB will probably go pretty quick.

Link from Dad: He always finds the most interesting websites. Check this out, it's called 10x10. I'm still figuring it out.

Update: Ok, I'm bored with it already. The pictures are too small, they are repeated and... what's the point again?

Did Evolution Create God?: It makes sense to me; those who were most gullible and could believe in an afterlife reproduced more sucessfully than those who were perpetually anxious due to their discovery of their own mortality. The Chicago Tribune (free reg. req.) reports:

...Hamer, a behavioral geneticist at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, stands by research he says shows that spirituality -- the feeling of transcendence -- is part of our nature. And he believes that a universal penchant for spiritual fulfillment explains the growing popularity of non-traditional religion in this country and the presence of hundreds of religions worldwide.

"We think that all human beings have an innate capacity for spirituality and that that desire to reach out beyond oneself, which is at the heart of spirituality, is part of the human makeup," Hamer, 53, said in an interview at his home.

Moderate Islam: 20,000 people took to the streets to show the world that they won't let the Islamofacists hijack their religion. More photos here. (via Instapundit)

Good News from Iraq: A round up of good news from Iraq. This is a must-read.

Counterintuitive: I just heard John Gibson make an interesting comment on FoxNews. Instead of rushing in to rebuild Falluja, we should leave it demolished for awhile to show other towns what happens if the residents don't fight the terrorists when they come to town. No sense in conditioning them to think that the quickest way to a new home is to let the enemy set up camp.

Street Gangs: The New York Times has an interactive feature on Latino Gangs. I'm not sure if I should be thankful it isn't that bad here in Chicago, or fear that this is a sign of things to come. By the way, I'm registered with NYTimes.com (free registration), so my cookies always let me in. I'm not sure what happens if someone follows this direct link to the feature if they aren't registered. Anyway, if you aren't registered with NYT, why not?

These gangs actually threaten the national security of some Latin American states. The police response has been so firm that even having a gang tattoo can lead to imprisonment. In a sign that such measure are having an impact, men are undergoing painful back alley tatt removal that leaves 2nd degree burn scars. They often have to undergo this for years. Check out the feature.

Still funny: I know I'm really late with this, but it's still funny. Check out this short clip. Vote or Die Southpark style.

The Case for Concealed Carry: Tell me you wouldn't want a handgun if this guy (2MB video) decided to come after you (your wife, husband, mother, father, baby, etc). Of course I'm sure you could reason with him as he is bashing your skull in for no reason whatsoever.

Un-United Nations Update: United Nations employees have voted "no-confidence" in those who run the global agency. FoxNews has obtained a copy of the resolution.

Union officials said the final straw was the decision this week to clear a senior U.N. official on charges of favoritism and sexual harassment.

The U.N. pardoned the official, Dileep Nair, was announced even though employees accused Nair of harassing staff and practicing favoritism in his hiring and promotion methods.

It was the second time in two weeks that U.N. management has refused to take action against a senior official accused of harassment.

The vote was also in response to management's failure to accept the “honorable action” of the deputy secretary-general who tried to resign as a result of the bombing of the 2003 United Nations building in Baghdad that killed 22 staff members.

Additionally, U.N. workers are unhappy with leaders for failing to hold accountable the chef de cabinet, whose son was hired to work there in violation of staff rules.

Another concern is the ongoing internal investigation into the Oil-for-Food scandal. At issue is whether a senior U.N. official accepted bribes in exchange for diverting the Oil-for-Food program funds meant as aid for impoverished Iraqis directly to former Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein.

More information the Oil-for-Food investigation.

Conspicuous Silence: (via DhimmiWatch) Does it seem like there is a lack of outrage from moderate Muslims towards those who are giving Islam a bad name? Fear of death may be one reason why.

Denmark's moderate Muslims have shied away from speaking out critically against Islam out of fear of reprisals

Members of Denmark's moderate Muslim community say they are reluctant to speak out with critical observations of their religion, fearing social isolation, threats and violence.

Daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten spoke with several immigrant pundits and politicians following the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh earlier this month.

Jeeping: With so many useless add-ons it's cool to see something actually useful. This cool little invention will keep the limbs and branches from crashing into the windshield on those narrow trails.

One Jeep branded product that even my non-Jeep fanatic friends swear is the best product of its kind available is the "Liberty Stroller."

Heroes: This is my first posting of a video from my TIVO archive. It is a 19MB file 6:38 in length. It is from ABC's Nightline November 11th show. It is the story of two Marines who volunteered after 9/11. Right-click the link and choose "Save As..." It is a moving story.

American Jihadists: (via JihadWatch) Seattle school children trained to hate and kill Americans, a barber beaten with a meat tenderizer for not joining fellow Muslims in a bank fraud scheme to raise money for their attacks, have you seen this story?

Federal counter-terrorism agents swept down on homes and businesses in Seattle yesterday, conducting searches and charging 13 men with gun, immigration and bank-fraud violations....
None of the men targeted in the raids is accused under terrorism statutes. However, the federal charges unsealed yesterday allege the ringleader of the bank-fraud case told a paid FBI informant that his "whole Muslim crew" was involved in stealing money because "you can't go to war broke."

According to the complaint, the purported ringleader, a drug felon named Karim Abdullah Assalaam, told an acquaintance that the money obtained through the fraud "goes to help our Muslim brothers and sisters. ... It goes to the cause, not like it goes to me and you."

However, the complaint alleges that his half-brother, Attawwaab Muhammad Fard, who is also charged, used some of the money to buy a used Lexus. "There was a lot of jihad talk," said one highly placed federal law-enforcement official familiar with the case. "But most of the money went into their pockets."...

Several gun-related cases also sprang from the investigation. Assalaam and four other men were charged as felons possessing firearms, including several handguns, two shotguns and an AK-47 assault rifle.

In one instance, federal agents had reported "unusual activity" at a shooting range in Renton involving one of the men apparently teaching a group of individuals how to shoot.

In a related case in King County Superior Court, prosecutors in October filed assault and extortion charges against some individuals associated with an Islamic religious school run out of a South Seattle barbershop. The school was "training children ... in Anti American rhetoric," and "how to shoot and fight the Americans," according to court documents.

The owner of a restaurant downstairs from the Crescent Cuts barbershop on Rainier Avenue South told police that he had been asked to participate in the bank-fraud scheme. When he refused, he said, he was assaulted by a group of individuals and beaten with a meat tenderizer.

He described the school in court documents as "an anti-American training ground for Muslims."

Prediction: Lake Superior University's annual list of Banished Words - those words and phrases that become so tiresome they should just not be used anymore - will include the phrase "echo chamber" for 2005.

Free Market Failure: I'm an advocate of the free market, but I'm an even bigger advocate of unrestrained technology. I'm sure I'm just being impatient and the market will work this out, but Verizon's choice to disable (free reg. req.) some very cool features on the latest and coolest cell phone just sucks. Don't these idiots ever learn? Digital Audio Tape was disabled via legislation to limit copying (how many people do you know who ever bought one?) but VHS recorder & MP3 players were allowed to be sold and used in their full glory - and everyone is better off.

Get ready for the next wave of restricted technology when TV goes digital and laws are passed preventing digital recorders from taping certain shows using "copyright flags." I still put my money on the market to sort this out, consumers won't stand for the restrictions.

Fins & Feathers: Two cool stories about animals. First, eagles are making a comeback near Washington D.C. and a dolphin gets the first prosthetic fin.

It took the nation a few years to come around on civil liberties, adding the Bill of Rights in 1789, the same year that the bald eagle was adopted as the country's official bird.

I didn't know the eagle was chosen as our national bird so long ago.

Small is good: I don't think I'd get one of these new 2005 Mini Coopers, but I'm looking forward to seeing them on the street. These should make some of those SUV owners look down in envy, especially when looking for a parking space in the city.

Un-United Nations: This is quite startling. The staffers and their union at the U.N. are upset with management, including Secretary General Kofi Annan. I'm going to give Annan the benefit of the doubt for the time being - I know how unions can twist things.

U.N. employees, angry over Secretary-General Kofi Annan's dismissal of allegations of favoritism against the U.N.'s top investigator, discussed a response to the exoneration on Friday.

A statement from the United Nations Staff Union representing 5,000 staffers said a draft resolution proposed by one group of employees expressed a "lack of confidence" in the U.N.'s senior management.

I guess the main issue has to do with the hiring and promotion of friends and family members of high-ranking U.N. officials. Oh, and the dismissal of sexual harrassment allegations.

U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said Tuesday that Undersecretary-General for Management Catherine Bertini investigated the allegations and found that no staff regulations or rules were violated in the appointment and promotion of staff in OIOS.
"With regard to the other allegations, the investigation found that they did not present credible information on which to follow up and, therefore, recommended that no further action was necessary in the matter," Eckhard said.

That can mean the rules are just very loose or maybe the friends and family members just happened to be the best qualified for the positions. I'll post more on this - if the MSM doesn't stay on it, I'm sure Instapundit and the other 'blogs will keep me up-to-date, and I'll pass it on.

As much as I'd love to just jump on this with both feet, I have to hold back. These types of personnel issues are hard to analyze even if one is privy to the confidential documents; especially the sexual harassment stuff. I'm gonna keep my pitchfork and torch in their case tonight.

Hitchens: On Arafat, "How he wasted his last 30 years." Here is a bit, but you should read the whole thing at Slate.

There was a time when the Palestinian cause, throughout the Middle East, was generally identified with larger causes than itself. Its diaspora, made up of thousands and thousands of intelligent and educated and ironic people, was on the whole a force for good in the Gulf states, in Jordan, in Lebanon, and elsewhere. If you voyaged to some dark and decrepit state in the region, and could get rid of your clinging official "minder," it was in some Palestinian apartment that music would play, drinks be served, books be passed around, and humorous remarks made with courage. It became the fashion among some Arabist reporters at this time to allude to the Palestinians as "the Jews of the Middle East."

Well, Arafat certainly destroyed that dream. His grandiose death-or-glory campaigns made life infinitely harder for the Palestinian populations of Jordan (in 1970) and in Lebanon. Even those conflicts had at least some tincture of revolutionary ardor, in which some Palestinians—not of Arafat's faction—played a role. But the nadir was reached in 1990, when "the Chairman" ranged himself on the side of Saddam Hussein and stayed with him on the obliteration and annexation of Kuwait. Suddenly, the PLO was implicitly and sometimes explicitly in favor of the erasure of an existing Arab and Muslim state, a member of the Arab League and of the United Nations.

There were two results of this. First, the enormous Palestinian population of Kuwait—numbering between 300,000 and 400,000 people—was abruptly subjected to another nightmare. It suffered from Saddam Hussein's aggression, and it suffered again from Kuwaiti fury at a perceived Palestinian "fifth column." Second, the stupidity of Arafat's bet on the wrong Iraqi horse was compounded further. In order to recover his lost credit with the Saudis and others, he began increasingly, and corruptly, to sound the note of the "Islamist" trumpeter. (Twenty percent of Palestinians are formally Christian, and a large number are secular, but I think it is pretty safe to say that the "Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades" and other surrogate groups would not care much to be called "the Jews of the Middle East," in any tone of voice.)

Technology: Slate has a cool article, How To Steal Wi-Fi
And how to keep the neighbors from stealing yours. Just hope you read this before your neighbor does (did).

Every techie I know says that you shouldn't use other people's networks without permission. Every techie I know does it anyway. If you're going to steal—no, let's say borrow—your neighbor's Wi-Fi access, you might as well do it right.

It's more useful to read for actually keeping people off your network, but seeing that others are reading this might alert us to the fact that people are looking for stray signals.

The absolute coolest concept is SpeakEasy's NetShare. They encourage you to share your Wi-Fi with neighbors and you can re-sell the access and make some cash.

WiFi NetShare from Speakeasy allows you--the tech-savvy Speakeasy DSL member--to offer your neighbors broadband service via the new WiFi revolution. They get broadband service; you reduce your monthly fees.

I never really wanted to be an ISP admin, so I haven't done it, I don't want the headaches.

Rubbing Salt in the Wound: Where are all the advocates of self-esteem when we need them? Probably in our grade schools giving 4th graders A+ for saying 2+2=5. Instead we have the victocrat aldermen in the Chicago City Council turning a remarkable story of success in the minority business community into a Sun-Times story headlined, Aldermen bitter over shrunken set-asides. It is always worth reading these stories to the last sentence (as I found with the paroled cop shooters story).

These set-asides weren't "shrunken." Previous participants in the program have become so wealthy and successful they no longer qualify. That's bad news?

Last year, the city purchased a large number of vehicles at an African-American dealership, driving the numbers up. In addition, six large firms, most of them owned by blacks, "graduated" from the program because they exceeded financial ceilings imposed to satisfy a federal judge. They include a $750,000 cap on net worth and an average of $28.5 million in gross receipts over a five-year period.

It should be noted that the car dealership contract cost the tax-payers of Chicago huge sums of money - The best-bidder for that contract was white (and actually located in Chicago), so we had to pay much more and send our tax dollars outside the city to get a non-white bidder.

So instead of getting more patrol cars for the same amount of money - cars that could patrol crime-plagued minority neighborhoods - one rich black man benefits from this set-aside program. Typical liberal fix that hurts the people they claim to help.

Editorial Decision-Making: How has this story been left off the American news? NEWS.com.au Mutilated torso found in Iraq (November 15, 2004)

AS hundreds of insurgents who escaped the US onslaught of Fallujah regrouped for further attacks across Iraq, the body of a blonde-haired Caucasian woman with her legs and arms cut off and throat slit was found last night in a street in the battle-torn city.

via JihadWatch.com Robert Spencer's website worth a daily visit. I also recommend watching his C-SPAN visit (RealVideo) on Washington Journal.

Lost Cause: Mayor Daley's lawsuit against gun manufacturers was tossed out of court. All the parents of thugs and criminals should breath easy. If Daley had prevailed (he never would have), and the courts had allowed people to be held responsible via such indirect and tenuous links, imagine the how many others could have been held responsible. A lawyer for the small retail gunshop sums it up:

"There's a certain element of personal liability and personal responsibility that hopefully people take away from this: You can't do something wrong and then claim somebody else made me do it," Howard said.

Now can we get back to actually holding that tiny minority of repeat offenders responsible for the actual carnage they do inflict?

Update: Not a good week for the anti-gun crowd in Illinois. I missed this story in the local news, but another blogger alerts me to the fact that I can now violate Chicago's anti-handgun law without fear of prosecution as long as I kill an intruder with it in my home or business.

Consistency Check: Listening to an analyst describing efforts to protect Iraqi voters in January, I couldn't help wonder what all those people who were uniting to fight disenfranchisement, intimidation and even "voter terrorism" leading up to our election must be thinking now.

When Jesse Jackson and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume call the presence of a police officer at a polling place in the U.S. voter intimidation, one would think they'd be pretty outraged by Imams issuing religious commands - that to vote condemns one to hell - and terrorists denotating car bombs to discourage voters in Iraq. Odd how they get so upset over non-existent disenfranchisement and are so silent over the horrific violence being commited in Iraq designed to thwart one-person/one-vote.

One would think Jesse Jackson would be praising our troops for killing those who stand between voters and the polls.

Update: Guess who I'm watching on PBS Newshour right now... Jesse Jackson complaining about voter disenfranchisement. Not a word about the Iraqi voters and of course, still not one specific example of a bona fide case of U.S. disenfranchisement. Why do they even still have this guy in their rolodex? I'll post a link to the video when PBS uploads it.

A Fallujan sees us as Heros: Glenn Reynolds quotes and links to a Times of London story worth reading.

Such is the fear that the heavily armed militants held over Fallujah that many of the residents who emerged from the ruins welcomed the US marines, despite the massive destruction their firepower had inflicted on their city.

A man in his sixties, half-naked and his underwear stained with blood from shrapnel wounds from a US munition, cursed the insurgents as he greeted the advancing marines on Saturday night.

"I wish the Americans had come here the very first day and not waited eight months," he said, trembling. Nearby, a mosque courtyard had been used as a weapons store by the militants. . . .

The same story of arbitrary executions was told by another resident, found by US troops cowering in his home with his brother and his family.

"They would wear black masks, carry rocket-propelled grenades and Kalashnikovs, and search streets and alleys," said Iyad Assam, 24. "I would hear stories, about how they executed five men one day and seven another for collaborating with the Americans. They made checkpoints on the roads. They put announcements on walls banning music and telling women to wear the veil from head to toe."

It was not just pedlars of alcohol or Western videos and women deemed improperly dressed who faced the militants' wrath. Even residents who regard themselves as observant Muslims lived in fear because they did not share the puritan brand of Sunni Islam that the insurgents enforced.

MilBlogs Opine: Not only won't the mainstream media give us the proper context of the shooting of the wounded unlawful combatant, they can't. The power of 'blogs allows us a perspective from people we'd only get a filtered view from in the past. Instapundit rounds up the links well. Small Town Vet gives us an idea:

... Here is your situation Marine. You just took fire from unlawful combatants shooting from a religious building attempting to use the sanctuary status of their position as protection. But you're in Fallujah now, and the Marine Corps has decided that they're not playing that game this time. That was Najaf. So you set the mosque on fire and you hose down the terrorists with small arms, launch some AT-4s (Rockets), some 40MM grenades into the building and things quiet down. So you run over there, and find some tangos wounded and pretending to be dead. You are aware that suicide martyrdom is like really popular with these kind of idiots, and like taking some Marines with them would be really cool. So you can either risk your life and your fireteam's lives by having them cover you while you bend down and search a guy that you think is pretending to be dead for some reason. Also, you don't know who or what is in the next room, and you're already speaking english to each other and its loud because your hearing is poor from shooting people for several days. So you know that there are many other rooms to enter, and that if anyone is still alive in those rooms, they know that Americans are in the mosque. Meanwhile (3 seconds later), you still have this terrorist that was just shooting at you from a mosque playing possum. What do you do?

You double tap his head, and you go to the next room, that's what.

Desperate Grandmas?: With all the fuss over the Desperate Housewives ad on Monday Night Football, I decided to see what it was all about. Wow, this woman gets paid for her looks? I sure hope the plastic surgery on the parts we didn't see are a lot better than this. A face like that is a reason not to get HDTV, add one more to the list. (Hat Tip Instapundit)

Racist Left: Combine the lack of outrage over these cartoons by those who are normally so easily offended, the hate-driven desire to criticize the Bush administration, the lack of substance upon which to criticize and the elevation of Dr. Rice to Secretary of State, I can only imagine Rall, Oliphant, Danziger, Doonesbury, etc. will pump out more of these racist cartoons.

Imagine if these were Right-wing cartoonists commenting on Rep. Maxine Waters. What would Carole Simpson say?

Thin Tan Line: When one is making excuses for the Islamofacists intent on defeating secular modernity, one must keep in mind the very reason for their freedom to do so. When those same apologists resort simply to calling for the critics of Islamofacism to remain silent, they'd be wise to reflect for a moment on the emblem.

Whether it is a fatwa declared against author Salman Rushdie or the rantings (post#30) of a Chomskyite in a web forum, we should all hear the message loud and clear: Dissent is not allowed on this particular topic.

Well guess who stands between those who wish to criticize the miserable manifestations of Islam and those who would silence them? They wear beige and tan and carry M4s. I'd never heard the mission of our Marines so cogently surmised as this forum poster does when she reminds an apologist that the Marines are protecting her as she dares speak against Holy Islam. (hat tip Powerline):

Jana says: "Monir you dont know anything about Iraq or Islam or the Koran ...."

Dear Jana, I was born in the Middle East and went to Islamic school and at one time I memorized parts of the Koran. I am from a neighboring country to Iraq.

The Koran says Sureh 4, Verse 35: Men have authority over women (not just the wife but sisters, daughters, maids, etc.). If they disobey, "first admonish them, then refuse to sleep with them, and then beat them". You can read it for yourself at http://www.light-of-life.com/eng/reveal/ or other sites. Also try http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/index.html to see the 2nd class citizenship of women in Islam (for example they are counted as half of one witness, or receive inheritence half of a man).

Now Jana you are wrong that this is a matter of interpretation. When the Koran says women receive half the inheritence of a man, then this is not an issue of interpretation. It says Sureh 4:11 - "A male shall inherit twice as much as a female". Now how can you interpret mathematics in multiple ways?

You say that I am "not allowed" (by whom may I ask?) - that I am not allowed to say that the Koran has recommended to beat women or to disinherit women because of their gender. And why can't I say this? What stops me and other open minded people to say that the Koran contains nonsense of this sort? If it offends you that I say this, well then take a cold shower, and if you are a moslem (by the sound of it) then change your religion instead of being so embarrased about it, as I am just repeating what is in there complete with verse numbers and am exercizing my right to free speech, and I can say all I wish about Islam, including facts about the Koran - and this is exactly why the Marines are in Fallujah beating the hell out of these Islamofascists - because they want to stop me from saying the facts, and no Jana, you cannot stop me as those Marines are protecting me, the Iraqis, and ultimately America, and neither can you stop the good Marines who are risking their lives, to bring out the truth about this decrepit religion. You should be ashamed of yourself to undermine our men and women in danger in the battlezone who are fighting tyranny, while people like you suck up to it.

We aren't free to say these things - right or wrong - because some magic force field of free speech protects us; we're free to because of our military. The two sides in this war aren't just equal teams with different color uniforms, there are fundemental values at stake.

China: The New York Times has an interesting little multimedia presentation on China's growing influence within Asia. It is worth a look, it's only a minute or so long but it is quite an eye-opener.

Nice

"He's dead now": As usual, Belmont Club blog has the best analysis on an unfolding war controversy. Of course I'm referring to the video of the Marine shooting the wounded enemy soldier.

Update: Belmont Club has an update, with a sad example of the context in which these soldiers have to err on the side of killing when in doubt.

Letter from a Marine: Powerline posts words from the frontline. I can't snip a paragraph to post here, it must be read in context.

Oil for Food Scandal: If you simply don't have time to watch Monday's 3 hour 30 minute Senate panel investigation, by all means, please check out the this morning's Washington Journal segment (RealVideo) with Sen. Norm Coleman, Chair of the subcommitee. It's under 30 minutes.

One funny highlight: On Washington Journal, C-SPAN asks viewers calling in to use one of three phone lines based on their political ideology and they alternate between those lines as they put the callers on the air. When the topic is something as universally condemnable as this scandal is, it is interesting to hear one side or the other reaching for some ideological point. This morning was one of the best. One caller from New York on the "Democrats" line (20:50 into the clip) accused Senator Coleman of engaging in a conspiracy to take down the powerful non-white men in the world, citing Colin Powell and Kofi Annan. Nevermind the fact that Benon Sevan is white, and Kofi Annan could easily un-implicate himself by simply cooperating with investigators instead of obstructing them.

Questions about how much money was siphoned away from the oil-for-food program, and the money's ultimate use, were particularly troubling, he added, because of allegations that Benon V. Sevan, who was in charge of the United Nations program, had benefited from special allocations of oil from Mr. Hussein.

Mr. Sevan has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

However, Charles A. Duelfer, the top American weapons investigator in Iraq, who was the Senate panel's first witness, told the committee on Monday that based on Iraqi documents and what Iraqi officials had told him, he believed that Mr. Sevan had been given 13 million barrels of oil in special oil allocations.

This UNSCAM corruption makes Enron look like a purse snatching, just in sheer size of the loot. On top of that, Jeff Skilling was certainly not using the proceeds of his crime to reinstitute a WMD program, stockpile conventional weapons and bribe U.N. Security council members.

A Senate committee investigating the United Nations oil-for-food program for Iraq estimates that during 13 years of international sanctions, Saddam Hussein's government made at least $21.3 billion illicitly - more than double previous government estimates.

Anyone still in favor of going to the U.N. to ask permission to defend our nation, raise your hand.

C-SPAN: A discussion (RealVideo) at the Library of Congress on the Digital Future, specifically 'blogging. If the RealVideo link doesn't work, check that your Real Player is set to play Real Time Streaming Protocol under Tools->Preferences->Media Types->Advanced. I know I had to manually check that box on mine after weeks of not being able to watch any C-SPAN video online. Nice one Real.

David Weinberger, one of North America's best known experts on "blogging" and coauthor of the bestselling book, "The Cluetrain Manifesto" (2000). Weinberger is also author of "Small pieces, loosely joined: a unified theory of the web" (2002), a frequent commentator on National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" and "Here and Now," and has been published in many magazines including Wired and the Harvard Business Review.

Recidivist Alert: Keith Crockrom, on parole for aggravated battery (which is something the States Attorney will only persue in the most severe cases involving serious injury. While the law allows for "aggravated" charges when a weapon is used or a police officer is beaten, in reality, such charges are only brought when a victim is hospitalized. The fact that it wasn't pleaded down to simple battery leads me to believe this guy did something pretty bad to someone back in 1994) decides to prove his parole board wrong in quite a stunning way. According to this ChiTrib story (free reg. req.):

Crockrom allegedly entered his wife's bedroom, where his stepdaughter was also sleeping, and stood over the bed, Tomasik said. When the 14-year-old opened her eyes, she saw Crockrom standing over her with an ice pick in one hand and the knife in the other.Crockrom then allegedly began stabbing the girl alternately with both hands, striking her in the chest, shoulder and neck, she said.

He yelled: "You're going to die! Y'all are going to die tonight,"

The girl is in stable condition, but knowing this guy will probably be back on the streets before she is his age now (41), I imagine she won't be sleeping very well. Let's give another round of applause to the Parole Board.

Lost Cause: With both the Republicans and the Democrats desperate to woo the votes of the growing Hispanic community, these anti-immigration activists should find another cause. Chicago Tribune Immigration foes learn ways to advance cause (free reg. req.)

Organizers who favor decreased immigration gathered over the weekend in Rosemont to mobilize a grass-roots campaign against what they called a broken immigration system.

Complaining that politicians and the news media often ignore their perspective, immigration foes said they took a page of strategy from the other side Saturday by holding a daylong conference on local organizing.

If they really want to engage in a form of local organizing that might grow their numbers, they might consider simply massive procreation.

Photo'blog: Check out some amazing photos of the battle in Falluja at Kevin Sites Blog. Note: Kevin Sites is the independent videograhper who taped the controversial killing of the wounded enemy.
Hat tip: WaPo








Marine Photogs:The U.S. Marines website often posts stories that don't make it into the MSM. I like that the Marines post their photos in very high resolution.

Caption: A Marine and sailor with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit lead a pipe into a river in Lutafiyah, Iraq, Nov. 13. The pipes were used as the base for a reconstructed bridge that was severely damaged in repeated attacks by anti-Iraqi militants.
The 24th MEU is currently conducting security and stability operations in northern Babil province.

Photo by: Lance Cpl. Sarah A. Beave

Caption:Army Capt. Lori B. Sweeney, doctor of internal medicine, 601st Area Support Medical Company, augmenting the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), examines a young resident of "Rubble Town" who's having medical problems in Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, Nov. 5.
Photo by: Gunnery Sgt. Chago Zapata (High Resolution version)








Caption:
Marines with Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, rest inside of a building in Fallujah, Iraq, Nov. 9, 2004. At the request of the Interim Iraqi Government, Multi-National Forces in Iraq along with ISF began Operation Phantom Fury to eliminate AIF sanctuaries in Fallujah and allow the IIG to restore a legitimate government to the city.
Photo by: Sgt. Luis R. Agostini (High Res)














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No Reprisal vs. No Strike Clause: The Chicago Sun-Times story regarding part-time faculty being terminated for failing to show up for work left out an important item. While the "No-Reprisal" language in the local 1600 contract is open for some interpretation (not to mention the part-timers aren't even in that union), the no-strike clause that is in the part-timers contract is pretty clear. When a union signs off on a contract and it includes no-strike language, they must have gotten some concession on their end. Either way, while my gut reaction is to sympathize with a Chicago police officer who moonlights as a teacher (actually, Dave Newbart's story in the paper doesn't make it very clear whether Dooley is retired police or still on the job), I don't have much respect for someone who knowingly makes a decision then whines about the consequences. He decided to abandon his students to support another group's cause, knowing full well that not showing up for work usually means termination. If he didn't know that, I can only hope he is retired from police work.

Dooley is one of several part-time faculty fired or facing discipline after their participation in a three-week strike by full-time union faculty. Unlike the full-time faculty, many part-timers are at-will employees with little job protection.

I would like to see this handled in some sort of standardized way, I don't like the fact that different people were treated differently.

At Daley College, union officials said two dozen part-timers were summoned to "pre-disciplinary'' hearings that could have led to termination. However, union officials urged the part-timers not to show up for the hearings last week. All have since been allowed to return to work, said Mel Anderson, director of student activities for the school and chairman of the local union chapter.

Chicago Islamic Charity found Liable for Israeli Youth's Murder: This story almost slipped past me. A federal judge has ruled that an Islamic charity is liable for the death of a 17 year-old Israeli man. The case was tried in Chicago, I can tell you it didn't make much news here, even though it was the first ruling of its kind.

A federal judge found two US-based Islamic charitable organizations and an individual fundraiser liable for the 1996 killing of an American in Israel by Hamas terrorists in a landmark decision handed down on Wednesday.

The ruling is the first to hold American organizations responsible for damages for terrorist acts committed overseas and opens a new window for the use of civil suits to stop the flow of funds to terrorist organization...

The Chicago connection:

The case was brought in Chicago because that's where the Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), charged with securing funds for Hamas, is based, and it is the home of the one individual the suit names as a Hamas fundraiser, Mohammed Salah.

City Colleges Teachers Strike: I certainly would have had much to blog about 3 weeks ago when my union was on strike, I continued to work and subsquently lost my job (I got another one). Perhaps I'll write and post an essay looking back on the whole thing, but for now I'll just link to some multimedia I created.

Recidivist Alert: This story buried in the Chicago Sun-Times, makes me want to pack heat.

A South Side drug dealer who arranged the kidnapping and shooting of a Chicago cop will stay in prison, after the Illinois Court of Appeals said he was not wrongfully sentenced nor represented. Robert Toney, 50, wanted his conviction overturned, but after his appellate defender withdrew, claiming there were no valid issues raised in Toney's appeal, the court Friday denied Toney's request. Toney was convicted of kidnapping, attempted murder, armed robbery and soliciting a hit on Wentworth District tactical officer James Love, who was on a stakeout in 1991 at Stateway Gardens when he was kidnapped by two teenagers, each paid $50 by Toney. He was then shot four times and left for dead, but his bulletproof vest saved his life, police said. Toney arranged the hit because Love was "hurting his business." Toney will be eligible for parole in 2033, when he will be 79. Christopher Williams, 29, and Rodney Payne, 30, who shot Love, are on parole.

Out on parole?! Is this the civilization Nancy Pelosi is vowing to save?

Homer's lost sister? Former ABC news anchor Carole Simpson, who ABC wisely took off the Sunday night broadcast (and off TV in general) and sent into schools under the pretense of winning over a new generation of viewers (one at a time), reappeared (RealVideo) on C-SPAN. She began her comments as a panelist by announcing she wasn't a political expert (20:36 into the clip) - then proceeded to prove it by giving the lamest post-election analysis I've seen yet by mimmicking (unwittingly I'm sure) Pauline Kael's infamous remark, "Who watches Walker, Texas Ranger? I don't know anybody who watches it." (47:20).

But the highlight had to be when she pulled out a map of the former slave holding states and compared it to the red states on the 2004 electoral vote map. (59:15)