Tammy Pruett's sons

* "UN Ambassador John Bolton's standard operating procedure is simple and straightforward, but it is often difficult to perceive unless one is looking for it. Basically, his method is to use procedural tactics to sabotage general process, thereby creating paralysis, hoping for eventual stagnation, which is then held up as "the process is broken" to justify both further inaction and rule-breaking. Basically, systemic subversion." (link)

* "After examining all the possible reasons why the bombers left bomb-making components in the boot of a car at Luton railway station, investigators consider it likely that the four terrorists had intended to build devices with at least 20lb of home-made explosives.
The suggestion that the explosives, nails and other components found in the red Fiat had been left there for a follow-on terrorist team has been discounted. One posssibility is that their rucksacks were too small for bigger devices." (link)
there you go then. we have a new winner.

* there was a leading politician here in australia on the teeve saying that muslim women covering their heads are just being defiant.

* "A FORMER Scottish police chief has given lawyers a signed statement claiming that key evidence in the Lockerbie bombing trial was fabricated.
The retired officer - of assistant chief constable rank or higher - has testified that the CIA planted the tiny fragment of circuit board crucial in convicting a Libyan for the 1989 mass murder of 270 people." (link)
(its a fascinating article)

* we have a terrific tv station here called sbs, and they have a really cool show called 'cutting edge' - altho this week they are running a documentary called "Bribes From Baghdad" on the phony oil4food thingy - this from the description: " In this revealing documentary, McKenna interviews many of those accused of stealing from the starving children of Iraq in a scheme designed by Saddam Hussein himself." fuck off.

* Janis Karpinski has a book coming out later in the year (she was in charge of abu ghraib and got nailed). she has a lot to say :-) she recently gave an interview and nailed cheney and rumsfeld and sanchez and miller. "I had been hesitant to speak out before because this Administration is so vindictive. But now I will ..." i cant wait for the book...

* the top bbc story at the top of the hour is about the political situation in iraq - who do they bring on to discuss? hans blix. odd. (separately, just the other day i was wondering what he was up to - particularly given scott ritter and his inability to get any media coverage in america)

* "In one heated moment, members of the pro-Bush crowd turned on what they mistakenly thought were a group of anti-war protesters, cursing them, threatening them and tearing down their signs. A police officer rushed the group to safety." (link)
ready. hate. fire. aim.

* frank rich (read as always): " Last week Mr. Bush started saying that the best way to honor the dead would be to "finish the task they gave their lives for" - a dangerous rationale that, as David Halberstam points out, was heard as early as 1963 in Vietnam, when American casualties in that fiasco were still inching toward 100."
(sheehan made a comment the other day something like 'ive finally found out what the NobleCause casey died for - its so that others can continue to die in his 'honour')

* more from Rich: "If there's a moment that could stand for the Democrats' irrelevance it came on July 14, the day Americans woke up to learn of the suicide bomber in Baghdad who killed as many as 27 people, nearly all of them children gathered around American troops. In Washington that day, the presumptive presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a press conference vowing to protect American children from the fantasy violence of video games." (as always, this article of Rich's will ping around blogtopia)

* "The University of California sets admissions standards that require applicants to have completed high school courses in a broad range of core subjects, “including science, mathematics, history, literature and the arts.” To receive credit for taking a science class, a student must be taught course content that is generally accepted in the scientific community.

Some students from Christian schools haven’t satisfied those admissions standards because their instructional programs substituted faith for science. The Association of Christian Schools International and the Calvary Chapel Christian School have sued UC, claiming its admissions standards violate the civil rights of their Christian students." (link)
perhaps they just didnt pray sufficently hard to the Flying Spaghetii Monster - or His Admissions sub-branch (and i dont mean 'branch' in an evolutionary tree kinda way)

* id be prepared to bet a lot of money that all of Tammy Pruett's sons have all been moved to really really safe jobs in iraq. if not, i hope that one of them dies instead of someone else's son. (of course, what i really hope is that we call of the war tomorrow and no kids ever dies in such folly again)