August 28, 2004

A LIBERTARIAN COMMENTARY ON THE DAY'S NEWS FROM RRND, 27 AUG 2004

The views and snide comments expressed in here are all the fault of the author, and no one else has to claim them - officially or unofficially! To read more, visit FND or RRND today! Just a short edition to keep everyone hopping!

1) Explosive traces found in Russian plane wreckage
BBC News [UK]
Again, the overwhelming desire will be to declare this another example of terrorism - Russia's own "internal" terrorists, the Chechzens, are the likely people to be blamed. And the word is already out that we must "tighten up on airport security" as a result. It won't be the first time Russian police have planted evidence.

2) Iraq: Truce agreement in Najaf
Seattle Times
There is no evidence whatsoever that this man will end the fighting - he is likely rather to forge an alliance of all sides (even the new Iraqi government) against the westerners like the US. Najaf will continue to be a warzone, and people, local and Americans, will continue to die.

3) Iraq: Collaborators detain journalists for tongue-lashing
Yahoo! News
You don't have to be a "collaborator" to dream about doing this! When we see what is published about, say, Hunter, or election news, you wouldn't be human if you didn't dream of trying to force the journos to publish the truth, whole and unvarnished and unspun, for once. Even though I KNOW it is unlibertarian, it is still funny to picture this - like something out of a novel or a movie!

4) Pinochet stripped of immunity
Indianapolis Star
Old dictators don't go away, do they? And neither do those who want a last drop of blood out of them. Pinochet deserves no sympathy, but these people (like their spiritual ancestors, the Nazi-hunters) could surely find something more productive to spend their time and money on, like putting MORE dictators out of business as was done to Pinochet!

5) Poll: Bush, Kerry remain in dead heat
CNN
The survey ... found Kerry 48 percent to [Bush] 47 percent.
Or so says the Gallup organization - turn the radio dial and you'll hear two or three other claims: Bush is gaining, Bush is ahead, Kerry is gaining, Kerry is losing - whatever it is, it is clearly as unpredictible at this point as the 2000 election was, and likely to end that way as well - as we see fewer voters turning out, and a greater division in the Union than perhaps at any time since 1860.

Mama's Note: Too bad they don't count and report the number of people who don't want either one of them. It's also too bad they don't word that more honestly and say it's 48 % of the people they talk to, NOT 48 % of the American people. There is just no way that 95 % of the population want either one of them.

6) Al-Qaeda plots inexpensive, UN reports
Richmond Times-Dispatch
"All major al-Qaida-linked attacks except Sept. 11 cost less than $50,000 each to carry out, according to a new U.N. report circulated yesterday. The report said only the sophisticated attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon using hijacked aircraft 'required significant funding of over six figures.' 'Other al-Qaida terrorist operations have been far less expensive,' said the report, directed to the U.N. Security Council."
Although I doubt the ability of any UN organization to calculate costs of anything accurately, it is unlikely that it cost much more than this $200,000 price range - a prime example of what Bill Lind calls "Fourth Generation Warfare." While the results of 4thGW in this case were horrific, it points out that it IS possible to fight Goliath without billions and billions. The problem is, the method of warfare chosen has nothing to do with the justice of the cause for which the war is being waged.

Mama's Note: And just think how many millions are being wasted with all of the "homeland security" and airport nonsense, especially considering the fact that none of it could have prevented what happenes - and can't really prevent something else as bad or worse from happening. The ineptitude and dishonesty of the government agencies charged with this job is the same or worse now as it was before 9-11.

As I warned, this is a short article today, unless some more comes up later tonight. Y'all have a great weekend!


Nathan Barton is a libertarian of Scots, Welsh, Texan, and Comanche ancestry - all prime examples of rabblerousers and lovers of freedom!

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