12/19 Quick Hits

The Holiday season has disrupted my blogging a bit, so I apologize if my posts have been spotty as of late. My posting will continue to be erratic through the New Year, but please continue to check in.

1. While American Jose Padilla rots in a cell, after 3+ years of illegal imprisonment and unjustified torture, white guy and neo-Nazi Van Crocker gets convicted in a real trial for plotting to commit a terrorist attack against African-Americans. So, to recap:

- a Hispanic guy thrown in jail using all sorts of extraordinary & un-Constitutional powers? Lots of media hype when he's detained. Not much since then, considering he didn't do those things he was accused of.
- a white neo-Nazi caught using old-fashioned police work (warrants, judicial orders, etc.)? Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

2. Baghdad basically out of power. From an electrical power perspective, Baghdad has been cut off and isolated. I'm worried.

3. Oh, and those schools we're building in Iraq? You know, one of those "good" stories that the media wouldn't report on? Yeah, well, they're actually closing down.

4. The Lower 9th in New Orleans still devastated. 25% of the homes have applied for demolition permits, but only 3% have applied for electricity service. It looks like people are not coming back, at least not for awhile.

5. Darfur's genocide isn't going away. At the risk of being a shallow idiot, after seeing "Blood Diamond" this past weekend I became a little more attuned to the problem (or horror) of child soldiers. Take a look at this, and take a look at the entire photo essay, and then tell me you want to keep throwing blood, treasure, and time into Iraq.

6. This isn't the most newsworthy item, but I wanted to drop it in here anyway. Bob Barr, former Republican Congressman from Georgia, quits the GOP and joins the Libertarian Party. Now, Bob Barr's no angel, since he was one of the guys leading the charge for Clinton impeachment. He is at least consistent, however, since he's now screaming to impeach George W. Bush for the same thing (breaking the law). His move will probably mean nothing, but you never know. Sometimes things snowball- we could see a large group of (principled) Republicans leave the party en masse, if they become convinced the Republican Party stands for nothing.