Monday, March 17, 2003

Why does everybody keep saying "coalition of the willing" even in other contexts? I just heard someone on CNN describe the US coalition in Kosovo in '99 as a "coalition of the willing" - what does that expression have to do with anything? It's not even like it's catchy or anything...
7:09:56 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Heh - the Iraqi foreign minister's reaction to Bush saying Saddam should leave? Bush should leave office instead. I've got an even better idea - why don't they both leave?
4:05:21 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Well, we've reached the point where the rumors are flying madly - on various message boards on the 'net, you can find all kinds of theories as to what's happening right now. I've read that B-52s have taken off from a base in the UK, a base that was used to launch B-52 missions in '91, and I've read some weirdness in New Mexico around major air bases...I'm sure that I'll find far more if I keep looking. And I can't stop - I know 95% of what I find is completely untrue, and the remaining 5% is misleading, but it's like the greatest car crash ever - I just can't turn away. We're going to WAR. What else can I do now?

2:38:20 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Huh...got a hit earlier today from a US Pacific Command HQ IP...just browsing from the blogs.salon.com page, it seems. If anyone else in the military happens to see this, PLEASE understand that those of us who are opposed to war are all (well, except for the scattered few total morons) supporting you - by which we mean you not getting killed.
2:18:07 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

And, of course, the markets are skyrocketing up...which doesn't make the least bit of sense to me. I mean, uncertainity about whether - no, when - we'd go to war pushed the markets down, but *knowing* we're going to war is pushing them up? How does that work? How does knowing the price of oil is going to go even higher, massive economic damage in the region, increased risks of terror, etc - how does all that make the market stronger?

2:10:07 PM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Now they're saying a 72 hour ultimatum is, and I quote, "right in the ballpark." Which means Thursday night.
11:46:27 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Yes, the black is deliberate.
10:59:04 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

...Powell is making some damned flimsy excuses for the supposed "material breach" that justifies this war. "We were hoping, but had no illusions..." regarding Iraq co-operating. Uh, you didn't want them to co-operate. You made it much harder for them to co-operate, but aiming a whole lot of guns at them. He's attacking France and Russia, sort of...blaming them for not passing the resolution that the UK put forward. More or less. Ah, the US, UK and Spain together decided to throw out the resolution and go it alone. As if anyone but Bush actually had a real voice there. Bush is going to deliver an ultimatum - leave or war, which we all know means war. I think the main reason they're doing this ultimatum isn't even the fig leaf of an excuse, but because they need a day to get everyone out of Iraq, and this gives them a reason to wait another day. "all of the leaders spoke of a future for Iraq that will be brighter" - yeah, because the freakin' oilfields will be on fire. Powell - Bush is committed to the UN. HA! This is reality?

10:55:49 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

Fun listening to The Connection on 'BUR right now, interviewing a French news analyst. He's talking about how France and Britain will come back together "once Tony Blair is toppled". Heh. Hey - Powell's talking...
10:49:30 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

From Reuters, via WBUR: U.N. Inspectors Checking Out of Baghdad Hotels U.N. officials said the chief weapons inspectors would tell the Security Council later on Monday that their teams would leave Iraq within 24 hours. Yet more evidence - Tuesday's the day.
10:45:29 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

So they're saying Hussein's got to leave Iraq to prevent war...that's going to happen. And the US is alleging that there's new evidence that Iraq is preparing to use chemical weapons - no shit! I'm shocked! A country we're about to invade, a regime we're about to overthrow, is ready to use any and all means to protect itself? What a fucking surprise.
10:35:07 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

From the Beeb, on Bush's speech tonight: The speech will not be an immediate declaration of war, but it will give Saddam Hussein only a few further hours to leave Iraq or face an attack, according to the BBC's Justin Webb in Washington. Yeah, it'll be Tuesday. United for Peace is serving as a clearinghouse for day-after protests - if this goes down like I expect, I'll be in Boston Wednesday afternoon.

10:27:48 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

BBC is reporting that the second resolution has been withdrawn from the Security Council, and the White House is saying Bush'll address the nation at 8pm EST tonight. The bombing won't start tonight - they still need time to get the UN inspectors and other foreigners out of Baghdad. Tomorrow night, I'm betting, around 6:30 or 7pm EST - gotta catch the network news shows, after all. Damn, this is really happening.

10:24:59 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

From the Beeb online - Diplomacy hour-by-hour. Let's watch diplomacy fail! Woo!
9:49:00 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []

It's really happening...we're honest-to-god going to war, sometime in the next week. I have a hard time believing it - I mean, c'mon, this isn't the '60s, right? We learned from Vietnam, right? My mom's just in shock - she's going to vigils on the town common almost nightly, and she's ANGRY...way angrier than I've ever seen. Well, other than when she's angry at me, but that's a different matter... =) Hey, small things - anything that can make me feel a little less doomed right now is a good thing. We're going to war. And it's not going to be as easy as the punditocracy is saying it'll be - a military analyst on NPR as I was pulling in to work today was saying that, yes, the traditionally military aspects of the war will be over quickly - the head-to-head battles with the organized military units of Iraq's army. But the street fighting in Baghdad? The guerillas? Resolving the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan once the Turks invade? (and don't tell me that Colin Powell telling the Turks not to invade will stop them...) The eventual uprising by whichever of the Sunni or Shi'ite Arab Iraqis we push back down? (which is, of course, almost certain to be the Shi'ite - after all, we're going to institute a new military dictatorship...and all the generals are Sunni. That and the Saudis would throw a fit if we were to give the Shi'ites any power. And the Bushies' fear of Iran would also keep them from helping the Shi'ites...etc...) I saw a simple estimate of how many occupation troops will be needed, just for keeping order: 1 occuptation soldier for every 500 occupied inhabitants, plus 1 officer for every 10 soldiers. With Iraq's 23 million inhabitants, that works out to just about exactly 50,000 soldiers and officers. 50,000 - think about that for a minute. Add in the troops we will HAVE to commit for infrastructure rebuilding, putting down revolts, dealing with the Turkish/Kurdish war...100,000 troops doesn't seem unlikely. And we're not talking about a 90 day occupation here - it'll be years 'til we're out. I'm not rooting for a quagmire - oh, god, no. The single biggest reason I'm against this war is that I don't want to see American soldiers die - I know, they signed up, knowing the risks, and their job is to die, if needed, for their country, but for anyone to die in this war is an insult to their dedication and honor. But it's hard to hope for a quick-and-easy war...because that'll only give the Bushies more ammo for the next war, be it in Syria, Iran, North Korea...who knows. But there will be another one, if this one goes cleanly. And that's even more horrifying than we were are now. I don't know what to do about all this. I feel useless...no, I AM useless. 1/3 of the country is vehemently against the war - and the other 2/3 actually buy the allegations that Iraq is connected to al Qaeda. I try not to be an arrogant elitist, I don't WANT to feel smarter than the rest of the country...but when a majority of the country buys Bush's line on Iraq and 9/11 hook, line, and sinker, what am I supposed to think? When the rest of the country seems to believe everything it's told, how am I supposed to have faith that they'll realize the truth in the end? We're a nation of suckers, one born every minute, and the Bushies are taking advantage, to say the least. I heard some electricians working on something in the new building saying something like "If Gore had won, we'd all be reading the Koran now." "Yeah, we'd be praying on our lunch breaks." Now, putting aside the spate of stories on our troops, praying in the Kuwaiti desert, and the ironic juxtaposition there, this just makes me sick. I know it's wrong to look down on others, but how much of a moron do you have to be to spout that kind of shit?

9:03:04 AM p e r m a l i n k trackback [] say something []