Random News Observations

[hblask 1]

Intelligence about WMD's was obviously wrong!, but Everyone believed them to be true at the time.

This is false. The UN had inspectors in the country and they repeatedly stated they had found no evidence of WMDs. No reliable source thought they had any. Bush just fished around until he found someone who told him what he wanted to hear, and ignored the other dozens of sources that said there were none. I believe we covered all this at the time on this forum, before the war started, if anyone is interested enough to dig it up.

[timwakefield 68]

So the Senate should be able to be influenced to invade nearly every country in the world?...let's get to work!

That's...not what I said. Those two sentences that you quoted are completely independent and were each responding to completely different statements. They're not related.

[Zealous Donkey 0]

This is false. The UN had inspectors in the country and they repeatedly stated they had found no evidence of WMDs. No reliable source thought they had any. Bush just fished around until he found someone who told him what he wanted to hear, and ignored the other dozens of sources that said there were none. I believe we covered all this at the time on this forum, before the war started, if anyone is interested enough to dig it up.

So Bush should have trusted the UN inspectors? Yes, it turns out that maybe he should have. I don't blame him at all for not having faith in them. I hope you aren't calling the UN a reliable source. It was widely thought that Saddam was hiding WMDs, and his own behaviors suggested he had them, or at least wanted some of the local enemies to think he had them.

[Balloon guy 158]

So Bush should have trusted the UN inspectors? Yes, it turns out that maybe he should have. I don't blame him at all for not having faith in them. I hope you aren't calling the UN a reliable source. It was widely thought that Saddam was hiding WMDs, and his own behaviors suggested he had them, or at least wanted some of the local enemies to think he had them.

Which UN inspectors?Hans Blix in Feb 2003?

We have now commenced the process of destroying approximately 50 litres of mustard gas declared by Iraq that was being kept under UNMOVIC seal at the Muthanna site. One-third of the quantity has already been destroyed. The laboratory quantity of thiodiglycol, a mustard gas precursor, which we found at another site, has also been destroyed....How much, if any, is left of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and related proscribed items and programmes? So far, UNMOVIC has not found any such weapons, only a small number of empty chemical munitions, which should have been declared and destroyed. Another matter - and one of great significance - is that many proscribed weapons and items are not accounted for. To take an example, a document, which Iraq provided, suggested to us that some 1,000 tonnes of chemical agent were "unaccounted for". One must not jump to the conclusion that they exist. However, that possibility is also not excluded. If they exist, they should be presented for destruction. If they do not exist, credible evidence to that effect should be presented.We are fully aware that many governmental intelligence organizations are convinced and assert that proscribed weapons, items and programmes continue to exist. The US Secretary of State presented material in support of this conclusion. Governments have many sources of information that are not available to inspectors. Inspectors, for their part, must base their reports only on evidence, which they can, themselves, examine and present publicly. Without evidence, confidence cannot arise.

In my earlier briefings, I have noted that significant outstanding issues of substance were listed in two Security Council documents from early 1999 (S/1999/94 and S/1999/356) and should be well known to Iraq. I referred, as examples, to the issues of anthrax, the nerve agent VX and long-range missiles, and said that such issues "deserve to be taken seriously by Iraq rather than being brushed aside...". The declaration submitted by Iraq on 7 December last year, despite its large volume, missed the opportunity to provide the fresh material and evidence needed to respond to the open questions. This is perhaps the most important problem we are facing. Although I can understand that it may not be easy for Iraq in all cases to provide the evidence needed, it is not the task of the inspectors to find it. Iraq itself must squarely tackle this task and avoid belittling the questions.In my January update to the Council, I referred to the Al Samoud 2 and the Al Fatah missiles, reconstituted casting chambers, construction of a missile engine test stand and the import of rocket engines, which were all declared to UNMOVIC by Iraq. I noted that the Al Samoud 2 and the Al Fatah could very well represent prima facie cases of proscribed missile systems, as they had been tested to ranges exceeding the 150-kilometre limit set by the Security Council. I also noted that Iraq had been requested to cease flight tests of these missiles until UNMOVIC completed a technical review.

[akoff 0]

Better to just blame Bush, it fits better with the revised history our Democratic Unionized school teachers are in the process of creating to teach the future generations.

[brvheart 1,752]

What do you mean

The fact that you are saying that every single democratic senator was SOOOOO trusting of George W. Bush, that they simply believed what he said in a speech and decided that was enough proof to send our country to war. Insane = you.

[Spademan 94]

LOL LIBS

You might suffer from sever mental retardation.Seriously, is that how you've conducted yourself in every post?I said a while ago I'd come into the blog/politic forum to clean it up, but due to real life obligations I just got around to it. You're my first order of business, you babbling, broken record retard.

[akoff 0]

You might suffer from sever mental retardation.Seriously, is that how you've conducted yourself in every post?I said a while ago I'd come into the blog/politic forum to clean it up, but due to real life obligations I just got around to it. You're my first order of business, you babbling, broken record retard.

good luck with that. i would love to argue with you but this is not my prefered means of it. plus we are rapidly approaching golf season and i will lose interest in you and this forum quickly if i have to decide where to better spend my time. i do have to run my business occasionally...it is a pain somedays but it also allows me to pretty much do whatever i feel like on a random day.

[Spademan 94]

good luck with that. i would love to argue with you but this is not my prefered means of it. plus we are rapidly approaching golf season and i will lose interest in you and this forum quickly if i have to decide where to better spend my time. i do have to run my business occasionally...it is a pain somedays but it also allows me to pretty much do whatever i feel like on a random day.

Good one.You got me.Yes, you're going to run away to save yourself the embarrassment. At least you show a modicum of instinctual self-preservation. It's better than nothing.However, you won't be allowed to pretend like your stupidity, and your inability to respond has to do with how busy you are. Ya, I work in Intelligence. I go to Iraq and Afghanistan for months to over a year at a time, and I still destroy you.And I'm literally the best at what I do.So... ya.Time constraint isn't an excuse and you're just an idiot. Nice try though. Now dissolve into the background.

[akoff 0]

Good one.You got me.Yes, you're going to run away to save yourself the embarrassment. At least you show a modicum of instinctual self-preservation. It's better than nothing.However, you won't be allowed to pretend like your stupidity, and your inability to respond has to do with how busy you are. Ya, I work in Intelligence. I go to Iraq and Afghanistan for months to over a year at a time, and I still destroy you.And I'm literally the best at what I do.So... ya.Time constraint isn't an excuse and you're just an idiot. Nice try though. Now dissolve into the background.

well said, i know when i am overmatched...that is not the same as being wrong. you continue on with the intelligence stuff and i will continue to watch the Unit!

[Spademan 94]

well said, i know when i am overmatched...that is not the same as being wrong. you continue on with the intelligence stuff and i will continue to watch the Unit!

Again:Capitulation is my kryptonite, and you've made it worse by adding a reflection of my past in The Unit.Asshole.

[akoff 0]

Again:Capitulation is my kryptonite, and you've made it worse by adding a reflection of my past in The Unit.Asshole.

i have been married a long time, you will have to do better then that.

[timwakefield 68]

The fact that you are saying that every single democratic senator was SOOOOO trusting of George W. Bush, that they simply believed what he said in a speech and decided that was enough proof to send our country to war. Insane = you.

No, they believed the administration, not just one thing Bush said in one speech. It's obvious that what Bush said in his state of the union was in agreement with the analysis and decisions made by him and his administration regarding Iraq. That's why he said it. The President and a few of his staff have seats in the situation room. Senators don't.

[Spademan 94]

i have been married a long time, you will have to do better then that.

Self deprecation is the same thing as capitulation.So stop. I'm in a pool and there is a glowing green pendant on a chain wrapped around my neck, and I'm drowning.You've admitted that you're defeated...Leave well enough alone. If I have to call on Ms. Tessmacher, shit'll get real.

[Spademan 94]

No, they believed the administration, not just one thing Bush said in one speech. It's obvious that what Bush said in his state of the union was in agreement with the analysis and decisions made by him and his administration regarding Iraq. That's why he said it. The President and a few of his staff have seats in the situation room. Senators don't.

It would have been so much better if you said "haste of the union address".You aren't me though, on a number of levels, so you'd have never seen that.

[Balloon guy 158]

Ya, I work in Intelligence. I go to Iraq and Afghanistan for months to over a year at a time, and I still destroy you.

No matter how much other stuff happens, I have a ton of respect for you for this.Even though my Brother in Law is your boss

[Spademan 94]

No matter how much other stuff happens, I have a ton of respect for you for this.Even though my Brother in Law is your boss

Pew pew!That's me fake shooting at you with gay sounding laser guns, humorously. I literally have no boss, doing what I'm currently doing.

[Balloon guy 158]

So the Somalian pirates killed the 4 people during the rescue.1st: When did people stop fearing the US? Last time they popped them in the head with snipers from the backs of moving ships on Easter.2nd: The report on the news said that Somalia has 650+ people and 6-7 ships currently hijacked. Why is the Navy not there kicking some butt?3rd: The insurance companies pay these guys off all the time in millions of dollars..how do these people not take the money and run? It is always so weird to me to think that x group is getting x millions and yet still seem to own one shirt, wear flip flops and carry AK-47s 24/74th :Why hasn't Blackwater or someone else started the 'hijack prevention company', that does nothing but rent guys to sit on the bow with a sniper rifle and a beer and beg the captain to slow down and get closer to the shore?

[Spademan 94]

So the Somalian pirates killed the 4 people during the rescue.1st: When did people stop fearing the US? Last time they popped them in the head with snipers from the backs of moving ships on Easter.2nd: The report on the news said that Somalia has 650+ people and 6-7 ships currently hijacked. Why is the Navy not there kicking some butt?3rd: The insurance companies pay these guys off all the time in millions of dollars..how do these people not take the money and run? It is always so weird to me to think that x group is getting x millions and yet still seem to own one shirt, wear flip flops and carry AK-47s 24/74th :Why hasn't Blackwater or someone else started the 'hijack prevention company', that does nothing but rent guys to sit on the bow with a sniper rifle and a beer and beg the captain to slow down and get closer to the shore?

I have no answers for these questions.Other than to clarify that Blackwater goes by Xe more recently.Aside from that, good questions. I'd also turn a good deal of Muslim nations into glass parking lots if I could.Unfortunately, it seems these things are not politically viable.

[Balloon guy 158]

I have no answers for these questions.Other than to clarify that Blackwater goes by Xe more recently.Aside from that, good questions. I'd also turn a good deal of Muslim nations into glass parking lots if I could.Unfortunately, it seems these things are not politically viable.

I get the need to handle muslim issues with care, but pirates? We should be able to fire them up for training and nobody would really complain much.But I do suspect that there are companies out there filling the role of protectors, and making lots of money. And good for them.But still, pirates have over 600 people hostage, and are still working and the US isn't dumping some old munitions, to reduce storage space, on their homes?It's like I don't know who we are anymore...I of course blame Clinton...but I haven't worked out why yet..stay tuned.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

So the Somalian pirates killed the 4 people during the rescue.1st: When did people stop fearing the US? Last time they popped them in the head with snipers from the backs of moving ships on Easter.

So sad to hear. Apparently the couple had been traveling the world for years, sightseeing and doing charitable work around the globe. I'm not sure why they stopped fearing the US. Last time, they were all killed on the stop. This time, only two were killed and 20 or so were captured. I wouldn't be too upset if those 20 or so pirates were "lost at sea" on their way to a US prison.

2nd: The report on the news said that Somalia has 650+ people and 6-7 ships currently hijacked. Why is the Navy not there kicking some butt?

Because it's really difficult. The pirates are a wide network of locals which are spread out and entrenched within Somalia. They live in a country that has no government, no central control, and no police force. Going after them on land would be akin to going after the Taliban in Afghanistan, and I don't think many have the stomach for something like that.

4th :Why hasn't Blackwater or someone else started the 'hijack prevention company', that does nothing but rent guys to sit on the bow with a sniper rifle and a beer and beg the captain to slow down and get closer to the shore?

Right, the difference is that they have to go to sea to do their piracy, and that makes them easily identifiable. Unfortunately, the amount of ocean needed to cover is huge. Having said that, we spend ten times more on the military than any other country, and we have much better technology. I don't buy the fact that we can't put a stop to this if we really wanted to, or at least put a large dent in it. Can't we find these guys with radar, can't we try to identify rogue boats using drones, can't we take them out from thousands of miles away using surgical strikes? How would that be different than the bombing of Al Qaeda that we do every day?

[Spademan 94]

I get the need to handle muslim issues with care, but pirates? We should be able to fire them up for training and nobody would really complain much.But I do suspect that there are companies out there filling the role of protectors, and making lots of money. And good for them.But still, pirates have over 600 people hostage, and are still working and the US isn't dumping some old munitions, to reduce storage space, on their homes?It's like I don't know who we are anymore...I of course blame Clinton...but I haven't worked out why yet..stay tuned.

Uhmm... what religion are Somali pirates?

[LongLiveYorke 38]

Uhmm... what religion are Somali pirates?

Off the top of my head, I don't think it's Jewish.

[Balloon guy 158]

Uhmm... what religion are Somali pirates?

I didn't think we equated them that way at all.But if you are right than its time the US military had its butt kicked so they can get away from the PC garbage and get back to being the baddest military in the history of the world.Edit: And by butt kicked I mean a serious tongue lashing because I hate that our soldiers have to pay with their lives for the sins of the leaders....again.

[Balloon guy 158]

Off the top of my head, I don't think it's Jewish.

Because they're black???????You should look up the nation of Israel's history and you will find that the Ethiopian Jews migrated to Israel in the 70s.