Open Thread
I am quite busy, but also sure there are many things out there that deserve to be spread. Break the silence.
Posted by b on October 5, 2004 at 06:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (89)
Space Quest
One of most beautiful technical creation of the last years, privatly financed and build Space Ship One, just made its second official flight to an altitude of over 100 km above earth. As an engineer I am amazed by the look of the ship and its launch carrier, The White Knight. This is not design where "Form Follows Function" here "Form Is Function" – just beautiful.
Some people will now be able to fulfil there dream of a space flight - for $180,000 more or less. To our children, this may become a common way to travel.
DoD, NASA or ESA would never be able to build something like this - wrong price, wrong design. Bureaucracies demand to many compromises to be really effective in frontier technology. Bureaucracies have also other thoughts than fulfil peoples dream of a few minutes in space.
Russia had proposed a global ban on space arms in 2003, but the US was not interested. Instead, the new Air Force Doctrine Document 2-2.1: Counterspace Operations (PDF) guides on
the ways and means by which the Air Force achieves and maintains space superiority ... Space superiority provides freedom to attack ...Is this what Bush means when he says 'Freedom Will Prevail'?
Context links:
Scaled Composite: Space Ship One
The Register: world's space hardware gets nervous
Wired: All's Fair in Space War
Discussion at: Slashdot
Posted by b on October 4, 2004 at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Preemption
The candidates seem not to differ in their position on Israel and Palestine. In the foreign policy debate Bush used seven words to mention Israel, Kerry used five. Security is the top issue for the US electorate, the Palestine conflict is no. 17 on a list of 19 priorities (Link). If Osama bin Laden talks of: "ignoring the real problem of occupying the entirety of Palestine" the West ignores him too - until he hits again.
While the electorate sleeps, evangelist Pat Robertson stirs the fire. Haaretz reports:
In two Jerusalem appearances, Robertson Sunday praised Israel as part of God's plan and criticized Arab countries and some Muslims, saying their hopes to include Israeli-controlled land in a Palestinian state are part of "Satan's plan."
Without the $100 billion Israel has received by the United States since 1949, currently at an official $3 billion per year rate, the state of Israel could not exist. Some calculate the costs induced to the US by Israel at exceeding $1.6 trillion. With their olive trees uprooted by Israels tanks, the Palestinians barely survive through aid from Islamic states and the EU.
A two state solution, as proposed by the now dead roadmap, is not viable. The planed Palestinian state - effectively under Israel’s economic and military control - would never be able to survive. The Zionists long term plan to transfer all Palestinians to Jordan and annex their land does (not yet?) receive support by the US. The only solution left is a one state/two people entity as it factual exists today.
Michael Tarazi, a legal adviser to the Palestine Liberation Organization, argues the case in todays New York Times.
But in this de facto state, 3.5 million Palestinian Christians and Muslims are denied the same political and civil rights as Jews.A one state solution does look difficult today, but it is the only one that has a long term chance for peace. An international initiative, with soft words of help and a big stick threat of economic sanctions, could bring this about.
…
In South Africa, such an allocation of rights and privileges based on ethnic or religious affiliation was called apartheid. In Israel, it is called the Middle East's only democracy.
Bin Laden thinks new blows with his big stick are needed to start this initiative. The west should preempt him by starting it now.
Context Links:
Gaza residents run out space to bury dead
Strike looms again over unpaid wages
A Strategy for Israel in the Nineteen Eighties
Two Peoples, One State
Posted by b on October 4, 2004 at 06:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Karl and Carl
The 'chief political correspondent' of Fox News and Fox reporter on the Kerry campaign, Carl Cameron, has written a piece with fake quotes of Kerry saying
"Women should like me! I do manicures."The piece was on the Fox News web site for a short while. Fair and balanced reporting indeed, but who does expect them to do different?
"Didn't my nails and cuticles look great? What a good debate!"
"I'm metrosexual — [Bush's] a cowboy."
Today they report that some Kerry supporters, the Communists For Kerry, love the Senator:
"Even though he, too, is a capitalist, he supports my socialist values more than President Bush," Rob said, before assuring FOXNews.com that his organization was not a parody group.Foxnews.com obviously had no means to check the About link on the Communists website
"Communists for Kerry" is a campaign of the Hellgate Republican Club, a tax exempt non-partisan public advocacy "527" organization that exists for the purpose of;"Informing voters with satire and irony, .. [to] help elect candidates who support economic growth through Entrepreneurship, limited government and lower taxes."
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo is all over the Carl Cameron story and the press will follow up.
Now imagine to be Karl Rove, Bush's reelection manager, and after a disastrous debate you need to get the press to concentrate on something different. What better to give them than the red meat of fighting each other over "fair and balanced" reporting. The media reporters of NYT, WaPo, LAT etc, read by every journalist every day, will be all over this for the next days or so. And there will be follow ups and follow, follow ups. No time to talk about war or social security, but plenty of ink to repeat Cameron's phrases.
Carl was at the debate as was Karl. Maybe they had a beer and talked a little, maybe there was a phonecall to Mr. Murdoch, and here we are. New bumper sticker themes for rednecks - talkingpoints for journalists - red meat to the press and red meat to the base.
Paranoid idea? Maybe, then maybe not.
Posted by b on October 2, 2004 at 03:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Bring It On
David Skinner in the Weekly Standard
Bush the Heavy
Frankly, I liked the Bush performance. His energy clearly flagged in the middle, as it often does for Bush about 20 or 30 minutes into a presentation. But he did a good job of depriving Kerry of the opportunity to make Bush look like he was sitting in his seat.Contra MSNBC, Kerry may have won on points, but he didn't look much better than a pretender.
Jay Nordlinger in the National Review
Don’t Shoot the Messenger...
I thought Kerry did very, very well; and I thought Bush did poorly - much worse than he is capable of doing. Listen: If I were just a normal guy - not Joe Political Junkie - I would vote for Kerry. On the basis of that debate, I would. If I were just a normal, fairly conservative, war-supporting guy: I would vote for Kerry. On the basis of that debate.
When the right wing flak comes up with Bush did poorly and his energy clearly flagged we don´t need to debate who has won. Now to follow through is very important and I am not sure yet that Kerry and his campaign will bring it on.
Posted by b on October 1, 2004 at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (107)