Well, he didn't walk. Not exactly. The death-penalty prosecution, in the most important terror trial in Asia, did manage to find a charge that pinned 2 1/2 years on the fellow. He was, however, cleared of most of the charges.
The trial is telling. At the end, supporters from the Indonesian Holy Warrior's Council (Majelis Mujahedeen Indonesia) cried aloud, dominating the courtroom and the streets beyond. "Allah Akbar!
The judges, meanwhile, immediately vacated the court, and vanished behind the protection of the state.
The Courier-Mail: Cleric Bashir gets 2� years [03mar05]
Bakar Bashir:
signandsight
Sign & Sight
By which they mean English.
That is the name of a new website, devoted to European thinking. It is to be published in English, which Arts & Letters Daily describes as 'the only pan-European language.'
Curiously, S&S has an article on just that topic: Manifesto. It begins with the death of a famous French writer, who hated the French press, but loved the German one. So, he stipulated that his final work could only be published in France after it had been published in Germany:
What happened was nothing. Several months after Bourdieu's death, Suhrkamp published "Esquisse pour une auto-analyse" as a slim volume. Utter silence. The German media failed to understand this as a scoop, a text that was awaited elsewhere, a gift from Bourdieu to what he considered a qualified German public. Months later the press published a few obligatory reviews. The French didn't bat an eyelid. While a small excerpt had provoked a scandal only a few months before, the full text went unnoticed. No one in the French media reads the German papers thoroughly, and no scouts are keeping track of cultural trends in Germany. Only when the volume was published in France did the usual brouhaha begin.The author of this piece asks, "Is there a Europe beyond milk quotas?" If the cultures are that disconnected and disinterested, to what degree is there a Europe at all? Not only are the cultures disconnected, but their understanding of core symbols is often reversed:
The Bourdieu effect is not uncommon. When Jürgen Habermas launched his "Core Europe" initiative, no one joined the debate. Who outside the Netherlands had heard of Theo van Gogh before he was murdered? And when everybody in Paris was celebrating the 60th anniversary of the city's liberation in August last year, no one was aware of what was happening in Warsaw at the same time. While a few streets in Paris were being named after members of the communist resistance, whose valour is indisputable, Warsaw was fixated on the enduring memory of Stalin's icy smile as he watched Hitler bomb the Polish resistance into the ground. The end of liberation.The piece then turns to the case for, and against, English; and by extension, for and against America. It's an interesting read, but it finishes with this conclusion: "Let's talk European!"
By which they mean English.
Mudville Gazette
Chains:
The Mudville Gazette has a photo essay on the breaking of chains. De Oppresso Liber.
Al Basrah.net invites US military men to break their own chains:
If you are united states military personnel and a conscientious objector to the war in Iraq, don’t wait any longer! As soon as you get back to America, pack your bags and head north.What are the advantages of desertion? There's a list:
You can go to the Canadian embassy in Washington D.C. for more information however, in order to make a clean escape, it is recommended that you tell as few people as possible of your plans and just make a break for the boarder.
When you arrive in Canada, head for the first government building you see, and tell them that you are in the united states military and that you would like to seek asylum in Canada.
CANADA IS THE CLEAR CHOICE AND THIS IS WHY:So really, we're all on the same side here. We just want to free people. Just some of us are vicious about it.
CANADA OFFERS:
* HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE. YOUR LIFE IN CANADA WILL BE JUST AS FUN AND EXCITING AS IT IS IN THE UNITED STATES; WITHOUT ALL THE HEADACHE!
* CANADIAN COLLEGES ARE TOP NOTCH AND THEY ARE FREE! NO INFLATED COST OF TUITION OR BOOKS - LIKE IN THE UNITED STATES.
* HEALTH CARE IN CANADA IS FREE! NO MORE HAVING TO PUT YOUR LIFE IN DANGER TO HAVE MEDICAL COVERAGE!
* THE PEOPLE IN CANADA ARE NICE - NOT VICIOUS LIKE THE PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES!
ONCE YOU MOVE TO CANADA, YOU WILL NEVER WANT TO GO ANYWHERE ELSE AGAIN.
Pacific Currents: Gore draws Chinese to animal parks
Chinese Animal Parks:
The chief attraction? Daily Cockfights, noon and three.
There are some photos from HangZhou here, which look enough like mine that I won't bother to upload the things.
Via the Best of the Web today, I saw this article on Chinese animal parks:
While some of these visitors may be animal lovers, they have not paid $7 apiece merely to drive around and admire the huge felines lounging about in their snowy compounds.But there is an innate sort of fairness at work:
They are here to see some action. But first, they must pay.
"You can buy a domesticated chicken for 40 yuan ($4.80) or for 100 yuan ($12.10) you can buy a wild one, which flies," the driver announces. "The effect is much different; it's exceptionally thrilling."
In their hourlong tour of this park, tourists will watch ravenous tigers chasing down live chickens, sheep and cows. Feathers will be plucked and limbs torn by the 300-pound cats while the tourists gasp, scream, cheer and recoil at the carnage.
Like many new industries in China, this one grew quickly without government oversight. Several people have been mauled to death at parks.Well, sometimes:
One park put a turtle in a glass box and allowed people to throw coins at it so they could try to hit its shell. At another, a tiger's head was chained down so that children could climb on its back for photos.This all reminds me of my time in China. In the city of HangZhou, once capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, there is a place called "the HangZhou Bird's Paradise."
A few parks even allow visitors to pay extra to watch a live horse get devoured by lions and tigers.
The chief attraction? Daily Cockfights, noon and three.
There are some photos from HangZhou here, which look enough like mine that I won't bother to upload the things.
Times Online - Sunday Times
The March of Science:
Yeah, okay. But I'm still planning on eating one now and then.
The Blue Bus is calling us...: Iraq Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 110
Car Bombs & The Fourth Generation:
Car bombs can't be controlled by restricting access to explosives; the ones in Iraq often use tank or artillery shells just because there were so many weapons depots in Iraq, but it's just as easy to make them out of common household or farm chemicals. For the same reasons -- power and access to explosives -- they have been the most popular weapons for serious terrorists. The IRA's long-argued-over surrender of its guns is purely symbolic; the successes of the movement have been won with bombs, not guns.
There isn't a good way of countering these things. The standard way is to create checkpoints where you can stop and search every vehicle that passes, but these are so manpower intensive that you can't set up very many. As a consequence, the best you can usually do is to set them up randomly in the hope of catching the car bomber by surprise. Even then, a suicide car bomber will probably just detonate at the checkpoint, still managing to kill quite a few people. It is possible that in the future, technology solutions may arise to aid these problems: robots to man checkpoints, chemical sniffers to search cars (though again, the wide variety of potential explosives hampers the effort to develop such sniffers).
The other option is to erect barriers and create no-vehicle zones. There are some notable side benefits to doing so -- they create pleasant areas for families and children, a kind of "main street" feel for small-business friendly districts, etc.
However, their size is limited by pratical considerations (e.g., how do you get food to restaurants/grocery stores in these zones? Well, you have to carry it in, which you can only do over so much distance; therefore, the zone can only be so big). They end up being practical for small popular concentrations, such as small towns, but not for large cities (imagine trying to subdivide Manhattan into a series of no-vehicle zones). However, large cities are where they are needed most, b/c of the population concentration that makes it easiest to kill lots of people there.
The logical consequence is the finality of a trend that started fifty years ago: the death of big American cities. America is large enough, and rich, enough to redistribute its population into a series of no-vehicle exurb-style towns if the business becomes important. There is some indication that Americans would prefer that lifestyle anyway, and it's consistent with the service-based economy and increasing telecommunication. In fact, life in or near such a zone could be relatively more pleasant than in current, vehicle-based suburbs.
It won't work for nations whose economic base is manufacturing, however, where there has to be concentration of manpower in zones easy to reach by transportation. Technology solutions will have to serve there; but, of course, these relatively poorer nations are the least well-suited to developing those solutions.
It's things like this that have spurred me to teach the military science classes online. It isn't enough to be horrified; you have to go the next step, and realize that these things are probably going to come to America sooner or later. Many military scientists think that in "Fourth Generation" warfare, the distinction between civilian and military will largely disappear: the enemy will attack civilian targets so often that it will no longer be possible to rely on professional forces -- military or police -- as the primary defense of targets.
In broad terms, fourth generation warfare seems likely to be widely dispersed and largely undefined; the distinction between war and peace will be blurred to the vanishing point. It will be nonlinear, possibly to the point of having no definable battlefields or fronts. The distinction between "civilian" and "military" may disappear.The car bomb (or VBIED/SVBIED, in military-lingo) is by far the most deadly weapon in the hands of modern insurgents -- in Iraq or otherwise. Unless they get their hands on radiological / nuclear material, that will probably remain true; and even the radiological material is most effective when combined with a car bomb.
Car bombs can't be controlled by restricting access to explosives; the ones in Iraq often use tank or artillery shells just because there were so many weapons depots in Iraq, but it's just as easy to make them out of common household or farm chemicals. For the same reasons -- power and access to explosives -- they have been the most popular weapons for serious terrorists. The IRA's long-argued-over surrender of its guns is purely symbolic; the successes of the movement have been won with bombs, not guns.
There isn't a good way of countering these things. The standard way is to create checkpoints where you can stop and search every vehicle that passes, but these are so manpower intensive that you can't set up very many. As a consequence, the best you can usually do is to set them up randomly in the hope of catching the car bomber by surprise. Even then, a suicide car bomber will probably just detonate at the checkpoint, still managing to kill quite a few people. It is possible that in the future, technology solutions may arise to aid these problems: robots to man checkpoints, chemical sniffers to search cars (though again, the wide variety of potential explosives hampers the effort to develop such sniffers).
The other option is to erect barriers and create no-vehicle zones. There are some notable side benefits to doing so -- they create pleasant areas for families and children, a kind of "main street" feel for small-business friendly districts, etc.
However, their size is limited by pratical considerations (e.g., how do you get food to restaurants/grocery stores in these zones? Well, you have to carry it in, which you can only do over so much distance; therefore, the zone can only be so big). They end up being practical for small popular concentrations, such as small towns, but not for large cities (imagine trying to subdivide Manhattan into a series of no-vehicle zones). However, large cities are where they are needed most, b/c of the population concentration that makes it easiest to kill lots of people there.
The logical consequence is the finality of a trend that started fifty years ago: the death of big American cities. America is large enough, and rich, enough to redistribute its population into a series of no-vehicle exurb-style towns if the business becomes important. There is some indication that Americans would prefer that lifestyle anyway, and it's consistent with the service-based economy and increasing telecommunication. In fact, life in or near such a zone could be relatively more pleasant than in current, vehicle-based suburbs.
It won't work for nations whose economic base is manufacturing, however, where there has to be concentration of manpower in zones easy to reach by transportation. Technology solutions will have to serve there; but, of course, these relatively poorer nations are the least well-suited to developing those solutions.
From the Halls to the Shores
Reviews:
Mike the Marine has some movie reviews for you:
Regardless of all that, "Gung Ho!" is a film for the ages. It lets us see what America saw during a time of crisis sixty years ago. It clues us into the mindset required to win a war. And it lets us know just how far the Hollywood elites have removed themselves from their country in the sixty years since.Sometime Grim's Hall poster Daniel has book reviews.
And Doc Russia has (in addition to his take on the Tyler shooting) a few firearm reviews.
There you go: performance art, literature, and physical education. We aim for the well rounded man here at Grim's Hall.
BLACKFIVE
And a Little Child...
BlackFive links to this column from the Tennessean. The land of Davy Crockett continues to produce men who volunteer their services in the cause of liberty. That, we expect. But what shall we say to these children of Mesopotamia?
GruntDoc
Why We Love Medics:
This story from GruntDoc tells the whole tale. What these guys did is harder than anything I've ever been asked to do, or want to do. We often think of the serviceman, the armed citizen, and the policeman who confronts evil directly. But the medics are the ones who pick up the pieces, and start putting it all back together.
Sharp Knife
With Trembling Hands:
Noel at Sharp Knife has secret details from the exchange of letters between Ted Rall and David Horowitz. He has the on the record details too, of course.
MECHA WARRIORS: Turning Soldiers into Armored
Mecha Warriors:
That's the title of this article on efforts to build giant robots for the Army. One reservist has built one in his backyard that can shoot spikes and spit fire. Can't walk yet, but... one thing at a time.
Things like this and the TRAP make me think that the military is thinking ahead. What I imagine they are thinking is this: "We used to have the best marksmen in the world, because they all grew up shooting squirrel in the backwoods. What are we going to do when all our potential volunteers have only Xbox shooting skills?"
Well, we'll have the best giant robot warriors around, no doubt.
DriveWerks.com - 7" Straight Jaw Locking Pliers
*Grumble*
Why, oh why, must these manufacturers of automobiles make battery terminals out of such poor quality steel?
Battery died in the truck today, so I hiked into town, got a new one, and carried it back. (An aside: these things are not feathers. My son, who is two, was deeply impressed. He kept trying to lift it after we got back home,and then pointing it out to his mother, and saying, "Daddy do!")
I have exactly the right size ratchet socket for the business of replacing the battery: 7/32. (For some reason, however, other bolts in the engine are metric; parts I have to take off to get at the battery are 12mm.) Fits like a glove; but no matter. The negative terminal came off with no problem, but add a little corrosion, and it's no go on the positive. The "steel" bolt stripped away like butter.
I ended up having to pry the thing loose with a pair of these. What a pain.
So, that's how I spent my afternoon. How was yours?
On the upside, the wife did compose a new song in honor of the occasion. She calls it "the Daddy Hero song." That's a bit much, but it is nice to hear her praise me to the boy, and it is nice to know I made her day.
Musings of The GeekWithA.45
Handguns to a Gunfight:
One of the easiest ways to solve the problem of body armor is with a rifle. Only the very best body armors can stop even one rifle round, though some of those can stop multiple hits of small-caliber rifle rounds. In addition to a vastly increased ability to overpower body armor, though, the rifle has the advantage of increased accuracy. At the short ranges at which gunfights are likely to take place, a rifle is almost pinpoint accurate. Striking areas not protected by the armor becomes much easier.
When I was growing up, it was entirely usual for people to carry a rifle or two in their truck, in town as in the country, mounted in a gun rack. I never heard of any of those weapons being used in a crime, and they provide a much improved capacity for a citizen called upon by Fate to do his duty for the common peace. In many states, there is no need for a permit to carry such a rifle, so long as it is openly displayed and/or carried without ammunition in the chamber.
There is an old adage: "Never take a handgun to a gunfight." Of course, we don't go looking for gunfights. But if you're going to prepare for the possibility that one might find you, a rifle can make a big difference.
The GeekWithA.45 has a story today that is both proud and tragic. It is tragic because it involves the death of a good, brave man acting in his proper role as a citizen: a defender of the common peace. It is proud for the same reason.
This law abiding fellow found himself outgunned by the criminal who killed him. He had armed himself with a 9mm handgun, to carry on his daily business. The fellow who came looking for trouble came with a Kalishnikov rifle, plus a bulletproof vest overtop of which he was wearing a flack jacket.
The armed citizen wasn't the only one outgunned; the police suffered three casualties as well. Mr. Mark Wilson, the armed citizen, is credited with saving the life of one of the intended victims, at the high cost of his own.
Another citizen, Ron Martell, followed the fleeing criminal by car in order to point him out to police. Between the two citizens, enough time was purchased for the police to coordinate their response and kill the criminal.
The Geek comments:
We must also remember that the problem of the armored opponent is solveable, and can occur at any time.Indeed, it is, and it can. There's enough body armor out there to pose a threat to police and citizens alike; we see it popping up just now and then among the more vicious criminals, the ones who set out to cause mayhem rather than just make money at their crime.
One of the easiest ways to solve the problem of body armor is with a rifle. Only the very best body armors can stop even one rifle round, though some of those can stop multiple hits of small-caliber rifle rounds. In addition to a vastly increased ability to overpower body armor, though, the rifle has the advantage of increased accuracy. At the short ranges at which gunfights are likely to take place, a rifle is almost pinpoint accurate. Striking areas not protected by the armor becomes much easier.
When I was growing up, it was entirely usual for people to carry a rifle or two in their truck, in town as in the country, mounted in a gun rack. I never heard of any of those weapons being used in a crime, and they provide a much improved capacity for a citizen called upon by Fate to do his duty for the common peace. In many states, there is no need for a permit to carry such a rifle, so long as it is openly displayed and/or carried without ammunition in the chamber.
There is an old adage: "Never take a handgun to a gunfight." Of course, we don't go looking for gunfights. But if you're going to prepare for the possibility that one might find you, a rifle can make a big difference.
China e-Lobby
No Punishment:
China e-Lobby has a piece that points to an interesting fact: Huawei Technologies is a "principle supplier of Iraqi communications hardware for the current cellular contract."
Why is that interesting? Because Huawei has experience working with Iraq. They are "the Communist Chinese firm that integrated Saddam’s air defenses in 2001."
Good job, too. It's almost enough to make you wonder if they were on our payroll the whole time; indeed, I expect the topic to pop up any time on DU.
Setting aside conspiracy theorizing, however, I do wonder about this business. There was a great deal of moaning and whining about the CPA keeping French companies out of Iraq; but Communist Chinese ones, ones that actually participated in Saddam's defenses, are OK? Or has Iraq's interim government decided that they care more about integration into the world economy than they do about punishing bad actors? That would be an understandable sentiment, though I am always sad to see anyone doing trade with China's defense industry.
Speaking of which, here is a Xinhua piece on US-Japanese military integration. The Chinese have been feeling a bit sour since... well since about 1930, where Japan is concerned. But they've been especially irritable since this joint US/Japan statement on Taiwan. There are attempts to play it down, but there's no doubt that it's big news. I expect to see, in the next year or two, a Japanese amendment removing the pacifist language from their Constitution.
The Daily Collegian - No yellow ribbons here
An Education:
I suppose a man writing from a publication called "The Daily Collegian" must desire an education, and I think he's going to get one. JHD points out that he's earned the wrath of a particularly fearsome bunch: The Marine Corps Moms.
Although I have no use for the fellow at all, I can only pity him a bit. Still, it should be a learning experience indeed. In a few years, when the bruises heal and he's old enough to understand what he's about to be hit with, he should have ample fodder for reflection and edification.
What is Snow Cream?
Snow Cream:
Great stuff.
It's snowing -- again -- and has been all day. However, this time I don't mind so much. The last time it snowed, I went out and bought some Eagle brand condensed milk, and so this time I was kitted out to make snow cream.
1. Start with 6 to 8 cups of CLEAN, FRESH snow.I haven't had the stuff since I was a little boy. It's very good, just as I remember. To make sure the snow is clean enough, wait until it's been snowing for at least two hours. That should draw down all the pollution from the air. Go and clean off a place outside -- the hood of a truck, say -- and then wait for snow to build there. That snow should be perfectly clean, assuming no animals have gotten at it.
2. Gradually add condensed milk (not evaporated). Continue mixing, adding more snow and milk until desired consistency is reached.
3. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla can be added if desired.
4. Best if eaten immediately, but can be frozen (the consistency will be hard, more like popsicles).
Great stuff.
Bangkok Post Thursday 24 February 2005 - Unrest fails to deter Chinese shrine faithful
A Goddess Through Fire:
Never let it be said that the Chinese people are cowards. Chinese culture may have little use for soldiers or warrior virtue, but there is a native heedlessness of violence: the spirit of the famous man who stood down the tanks at Tiananmen.
The celebration of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rooster, this year) is ongoing across Asia, including southern Thailand. Despite a massive car bomb set off there last week, celebrants flocked to this famous temple. And no wonder! Anyone who will turn up to participate in that ritual isn't worried about a little thing like a car bomb.
INTEL DUMP -
Up The Militia:
INTEL DUMP has a piece on the rise of militias and private regiments in Iraq:
Greg Jaffe had an exceptional piece in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) describing the rise of 'irregular' Iraqi units around the country, which were popping up on their own, raised by individual officers, funded privately, with little connection to the U.S.-led effort to raise an Iraqi army. Surprisingly (or maybe not so), these ad hoc units appear to be better led, better equipped, and more combat effective than their 'official' brethren. And, perhaps more importantly, some U.S. officers are recognizing this, and figuring out how they might co-opt or work together with these Iraqi forces.Hat tip Chester. The militia, I belive, is an idea which has come again -- or which is, rather, coming again quickly. Nothing says "defense in depth" like an armed citizenry, which complicates the planning for hostage-takers and other terrorists immeasurably.
bloodletting.blog-city.com
Gun Crimes:
Doc Russia is playing Deguello to CNN. He's not the only one:
The Geek with a .45
War On Guns
The Smallest Minority
Freedom Sight
Trigger Finger
Smallest Minority reports that the BATFE is investigating.
Channelnewsasia.com
The Bashir Trial:
In case you are not familiar with the fellow, Abu Bakir Bashir stands accused of being the most important terror-supporting religious leader in Asia. He is accused of being the "spiritual leader" of Jemaah Islamiyah, and is currently standing trial for alleged involvement in various bombings across Indonesia. Although it's largely passed below radar in the US, his is the biggest terror trial in the world just now.
He's going to walk, too.
And not only that, he deserves to walk. This trial has been a joke from start to finish. A prosecution that can't do better than this does not deserve a conviction. The prosecution, which started off pursuing capital punishment, is today reduced to stridently repeating its "demand that Bashir be sentenced to eight years in jail." This trial has seen convicted bombers -- themselves under death sentences -- walk across the stage to kiss Bashir on the cheeks, before testifying that of course Bashir knew nothing about anything at all. It's seen a former US State Department official testify that the whole prosecution was cooked up by evil George Bush.
The only good thing that's come out of the business has been that Bashir condemned terrorism against civilians, although in the same breath he urged Indonesians to go fight Americans in Afghanistan.
This is the problem with the law enforcement approach to terrorism. It just doesn't work real well.
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