Saddam captured – what now?

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saddamcaptured.jpg

This was a rather surprising headline to wake up to this morning. Good news, overall &mash; and not only was Saddam captured, but it was done without any loss of life, apparently without troops having to fire a shot.

Of course, me being me, I have to wonder where things are going to go from here. Two things immediately stick out in my mind.

First, I doubt that this is going to suddenly prompt a halt to the violence in Iraq (nice as that would be). From the situation in which Saddam was found, it seems unlikely that he was acting as any sort of major influence over the attacks against the forces of the US and our Allies in Iraq. Will his capture demoralize the Iraqi fighters? Or just give them another reason to want the US (who seems to be perceived as more of an occupying force than a liberating army) out of Iraq, prompting them to start hitting us that much harder?

DHinMI at Daily Kos touches on this question:

And what about the continued attacks on American troops?  It’s hard to imagine Saddam was exerting much operational leadership over the attackers from inside a “spider hole” in which he barely had room to move around.  The people attacking coalition troops don’t appear to need Saddam around to tell them what to do, and their actions don’t appear to be necessarily directed at restoring Baathist control over Iraq as much as evicting the occupying forces from their country.  The biggest positive from Saddam’s capture will probably be in eliminating the fear that he will return to power.  That’s a huge relief for many common Iraqis who may now be more emboldened to assist U.S. forces with intelligence about the resistance forces attacking out troops.  There may also be less acquiescence by the general population to having the resistance forces move as effortlessly through the country.  But it’s too early to tell.
binforgotten.jpg

Secondly…wasn’t all this started by the seemingly forgotten Osama bin Laden?

In Sept. of 2001, the US was the victim of a terrifying terrorist attack that hit the Pentagon and New York City, brought down the World Trade Center, and killed thousands. All of this was, apparently, masterminded by Osama bin Laden, head of the al Qaida organization. After the attacks, we were assured that al Qaida would be destroyed and bin Laden would be caputured “dead or alive”, and the War On Terrorism™ was begun.

Then we stopped hearing about bin Laden. Suddenly Saddam Hussein was once again elected “bad guy of the moment”, circumstantial links between al Qaida and Iraq were manufactured, and the Bush Administration’s propaganda machine managed to convince a frightening majority of the American public that Saddam was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. And into Iraq we went.

And now, months later, after losing over four hundred US lives to Iraqi forces (the majority of which were lost after Bush foolishly declared “Mission Accomplished” after we took Baghdad), we’ve finally captured our latest scapegoat. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens from here. With Saddam in custody, who will we hold ultimately responsible if the Iraqi forces don’t stop their attacks? After Saddam’s highly-publicized capture, what will be the reaction of the American public if we continue to lose soldiers to Iraqis determined to regain control over their homeland from the occupying forces of the US? Only time will tell.

And, of course, there are always questions regarding such a high-profile capture as this (sorry, but Bush has pulled too many fast ones during his tenure in office so far for people not to be cynical and suspicious anymore).

CTDem2 at Daily Kos noticed a few possible discrepancies between the before and after shots of Saddam’s medical examination after his capture:

I think it’s very unlikely that Saddam was captured last night, from looking at the photos.

First off, the wound on his forehead has healed over  between the time the “unshaved” photo was taken and the time the “shaved” photo was taken.  Sure, I guess you could say that for some reason they put makeup on it.

But, more difficult to explain – he has more than a little stubble by the time the “shaved” photo was taken.  That’s no 5 o’clock shadow, even if you have a fast-growing beard.  Looks more like at least a couple of days.

My interpretation is that he was captured on Thursday or Friday, but they didn’t want it to hit the weak Friday news circuit.  By announcing it Sunday morning, they made sure it (a) took that talk shows by surprise, (b) dominated the TV news on a day most Americans are home, and (c) will be on the front page of every newspaper on Monday, just in time for watercooler talk.

kaemaril asks in MetaFilter’s discussion thread about the legality of the released footage of Saddam’s medical examination:

How is showing video footage of Saddam undergoing a medical examination not humiliating and degrading, the sort of show footage that the Bush Administration were OUTRAGED about when it was American GIs on Iraqi TV screens?

You’d have thought the head of state of an occupied nation would have at least some protection from the Geneva Convention …

And lastly, on what may (or may not) be a lighter note, WizBangBlog is collecting possible conspiracy theories surrounding the capture. While I get the impression that they’re doing this mostly to poke fun at the “tin foil hat brigade” (which I freely admit I sometimes flirt with joining, if only for the entertainment value), it would be quite entertaining if there were more truth to some of these than might be initially thought…

I'm a dork

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One of my cost-cutting measures of late has been using my phone line as something almost unheard of in this modern day and age — as a phone. Nothing else. No call waiting, no caller ID, no voice mail, no fancy goodies of any sort. Just a phone. If someone calls when I’m home, I pick it up and answer it. If they call when I’m out, then they’ll just have to call back later. To my mind, it works well.

When I lost my job and had to go back into job hunting, though, I knew that that wouldn’t be the best approach, so I went ahead and signed back up for voice mail. It worked fine while I was job searching. I’d get home, pick up the phone to see if it beeped at me to tell me I had messages, and I’d call back the few that weren’t telemarketers anxious to make a sale.

Once I became gainfully employed, though…well, voice mail just isn’t for me. Due to the combination of an evening schedule that has me operating at hours quite different from a lot of people I know, a very small group of friends local to me in Seattle that I’d want to call anyway, and my own general semi-hermit lifestyle, I almost never pick up the phone to make a call. One of the few times I’ll call out is when I’m in a mood to order pizza, and then I’m dialing almost as soon as the phone leaves the cradle, and long before the handset reaches my ear. Hence, I never know if I have messages or not.

So this morning I actually checked my messages. There were two on there — one a telemarketer that had tried to get ahold of me Dec. 4th, and one from Rick, who wanted me to call him as soon as I got the message so we could clubbing that Friday night. Friday, Dec. 5th, that is. Well, he wanted me to call him as soon as I got the message, so I did (and just got his voicemail), but I think the verdict is pretty clear.

I’m a dork. :)

And I should probably pick up an answering machine and turn that fool voice mail off again.

Ooga-chaka! Ooga-chaka!

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Presented for your amusement: one of the most bizarre, funny, and somewhat disturbing music videos I’ve ever seen:

oogachaka.jpg

David Hasselhof singing “Hooked on a Feeling”!\
(Best viewed with broadband…probably a bit much for dial-up users.)

Notable both for how wonderfully horrid the entire experience is, and because many of the shots for said video appear to have been filmed in Alaska, even closing with a shot of Anchorage.

(via Nate, another ex-Alaskan)

Resume of George W. Bush

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Update: I originally received this as an uncredited e-mail forward. After I got an e-mail asking about the source, I did a quick Google search, and what follows appears to be a variation of a BuzzFlash article by Kelley Kramer.

George W. Bush — The White House, USA

LAW ENFORCEMENT:

I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver’s license suspended for 30 days.

My Texas driving record has been “lost” and is not available.

MILITARY:

I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL.

I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use.

By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

COLLEGE:

I graduated from Yale University with a low C average.

I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost.

I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975.

I bought an oil company, but couldn’t find any oil in Texas.

The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.

With the help of my father and our right-wing friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union.

During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by anygovernor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida,and my father’s appointments to the Supreme Court,I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

I’m proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My “poorest millionaire,” Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History, Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S.history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

I’ve broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. “prisoners of war” detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest number of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period.

After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people),shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of asovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families –in war time.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq, then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my “presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.” This is an actual quote by the mayor of London, Ken Livingston.

I am supporting development of a nuclear “Tactical Bunker Buster,” a WMD.

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father’s library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

PLEASE CONSIDER MY EXPERIENCE WHEN VOTING IN 2004.

What you leave behind

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Well, it’s done. Last night I finished the last episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The Dominion War is done.

As I’d mentioned before, I’d never seen DS9 before — I’d caught a few episodes here and there over the years, but hadn’t seen enough to really gain any appreciation for the series or the characters. Now that I’m done…well, while I hate to rank the three versions of Star Trek that I’ve seen (TOS, TNG, and DS9) as they each have their strengths and special places, I do feel comfortable in saying that DS9 is by far the strongest Trek incarnation as a whole.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for TOS. It’s the series that got this whole thing started, where we were first introduced to the Federation, the Klingons, the Vulcans, and many others, and the series that captured the hearts and minds of fans all over the world. I grew up watching Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and the rest of the crew, and that in itself is very important to me.

TNG was the rebirth of Trek, and it took a big chance in daring to boldly go where Paramount had gone before. New characters, new ships, new aliens — and a new show that ended up being far better than many expected it would be when word first broke that it was going to be made. Much of my high school weekends were spent in the company of my friends, gathering at one person’s house or another each week to watch the adventures of Picard and crew (often followed up by watching re-runs of TOS that were broadcast immediately afterward). Here we had a modern Trek, and it turned our initial skepticism into belief and a reborn love for the Trek universe.

With DS9, I believe that all the best parts of Trek were brought to the forefront, and then given just enough of a “darker” twist that could have doomed the show from the outset, but instead served to create some of the best Trek I’ve seen. For all their strengths, the almost antiseptic perfection of much of TOS and TNG sometimes seemed almost too good to be true. The characters were almost too perfect, there was too often a definite “right” and a definite “wrong”, without the shades of grey that so often color the real world. DS9 saw this, and painted the entire show in those shades of grey (almost literally, in the design of the Cardassian station). Without breaking away from the ideals set forth by Roddenberry in creating Star Trek, DS9 showed that as good as Paradise is, it takes work to maintain, and the real decisions and ramifications of that work are rarely as clear-cut as we’d like them to be.

So while I hate ranking one series above the other, I will say that DS9 is most definitely my favorite of the three Trek incarnations I’ve seen. Wonderful stuff.

And now that I’ve finally finished it all…

…what now?

You've got to be kidding me

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From the New York Times: Bush Seeks Help of Allies Barred From Iraq Deals

President Bush found himself in the awkward position on Wednesday of calling the leaders of France, Germany and Russia to ask them to forgive Iraq’s debts, just a day after the Pentagon excluded those countries and others from \$18 billion in American-financed Iraqi reconstruction projects.

White House officials were fuming about the timing and the tone of the Pentagon’s directive, even while conceding that they had approved the Pentagon policy of limiting contracts to 63 countries that have given the United States political or military aid in Iraq.

Many countries excluded from the list, including close allies like Canada, reacted angrily on Wednesday to the Pentagon action. They were incensed, in part, by the Pentagon’s explanation in a memorandum that the restrictions were required “for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States.”

How does any of this help anyone?

Panther bug: Dragging /System to the trash

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It looks like Damien Barrett may have discovered a potentially disastrous bug in Panther (Mac OS X 10.3) — apparently one can drag the /System folder to the trash, which then freezes the computer. Upon reboot, since the System is now in the trash, the computer can’t boot up.

Panther apparently allows admin users to drag the folder /System to the trash, which then will immediately cause the Finder to go into a spinning pizza of death (SPOD). Your only option is to shut down the computer. And then because the System is in the trash, the computer is rendered unbootable!!!

I don’t remember being able to do this in Jaguar. Shouldn’t the OS give a warning like “You don’t have sufficient priveleges to do this.” Shouldn’t the only user capable of moving the folder System be the root user?

Now, many people are going to immediately react by wondering just what in the world would prompt anyone to even try dragging the System directory to the Trash. As stupid as that seems, one never knows what people will try, or do by accident, and the OS really should be far more intelligent about how it handles this (such as not even allowing it in the first place).

From 299,792,458 m/s to 0

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Fun with science — physicists have just managed to (very briefly) stop light in its tracks!

The research differs from work published in 2001 that was hailed at the time as having brought light to standstill. In that work, light pulses were technically “stored” briefly when individual particles of light, or photons, were taken up by atoms in a gas.

>

Harvard University researchers have now topped that feat by truly holding light and its energy in its tracks – if only for a few hundred-thousandths of a second. “We have succeeded in holding a light pulse still without taking all the energy away from it,” said Mikhail D. Lukin, a Harvard physicist.

(via Prairie)

A bus driver I can relate to

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Extreme traffic on James St from Broadway to I-5. At one point an ambulance was trying to get through. The driver was on his PA instructing blocking motorists:

“Please pull forward and to the right.”

[PAUSE]

“…and get off the phone.”

(found on co149)

Safari bug: Amazon Associates Build-A-Link

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Safari/Amazon bug screenshot

I’ve been noticing a bug in Safari over the past few days, and finally figured it was worth writing up and seeing if this is a “just me” thing or not.

I just recently started using the Amazon Associates Build-A-Link tool to create the product boxes for certain items that I talk about (like the one for Season 7 of Deep Space Nine in this morning’s post). Unfortunately, once I find the item I want to create the product box for, when Amazon sends me the page that is supposed to give me the appropriate HTML code to copy and paste into my entry, the textarea field is blank. In order to get the code, I’ve either been using Internet Explorer (shudder) or just viewing the source code for the Amazon page and digging through until I find the code snippet in question.

The code in question is found about 80% of the way down the source code. Here’s the relevant section of what Amazon sends, with what I should be seeing in that blank box on line six:

<tr>
  <td>
    <form name="snippet_form">
      <center>
        <textarea name="snippet" rows="7" cols="35">
          <iframe marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?o=1&l=as1&f=ifr&t=djwudicom-20&p=8&asins=B00008KA57&IS2=1&lt1=_blank"><MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/djwudicom-20" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com"></iframe>
       </textarea>
        <br />
        <input type="image" style="margin: 3px;" src=http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/build-links/highlight_html.gif name="highlight" onClick="javascript:this.form.snippet.focus();this.form.snippet.select(); return false;"/>
        <p style="margin: 5px;"><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Paste all the HTML into your Web site's HTML.<br /> Note: your tracking ID, <strong>djwudicom-20</strong>, is already embedded in the HTML.</font></p>
      </center>
    </form>
  </td>
</tr>

My immediate guess is that because the code ends up looking as if it’s requesting an iframe inside a textarea, Safari is just discarding what it sees as “bad code”. Unfortunately, as placing code inside a textarea is a fairly common way to avoid issues with long text strings that muck up a page’s layout (such as, well, this very post), that behavior effectively breaks the Amazon tool.

I’ve submitted a bug through Safari’s bug reporting feature, but I figured sending a TrackBack ping to Dave of Surfin’ Safari couldn’t hurt, either. ;)