Well guys, I hate to say it, but I think that it's going to be quite awhile before I continue with my blogging adventure. There's this thesis thing looming on the horizon, and though I have done my best to put it off and pretend that somehow it will write itself, it just doesn't look like that's going to happen anymore. So, unfortunately, this blog is going comatose. Thanks for the visits, and to the bloggers on my list, keep up the great work.

KC
posted by Kevin at 10:46 AM

Due to the amazing weekend I just had, I think I'm going to extend my blog-vacation indefinitely. Keep fighting the good fight fellow bloggers!
posted by Kevin at 9:28 AM

One more thing! There is a lot of discussion about the whole Liberia thing. Below, I stated that I did not support the decision to send troops over there. However, there may be some good reasons for intervention. First, terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda love moving into broken governments and setting up shop. As to whether that would happen in Liberia, I'm not sure ( I don't think that there is much of a Muslim population there ), but broken governments rarely seem to invite the more democratic thinking leaders. Second, if we could, and that's a big if, stabilize the situation there, we could develop a front there, and possibly use it to base various intelligence operations into Algeria or Libya. However, I'm nervous about doing anything militarily in Africa (if you aren't, go rent Blackhawk Down). There is a lot of conflict, a lot of different factions, and very little precedent to believe that we could make a difference there. I don't like to see people suffer, but you have to ask yourself the question, "How much of a difference can we make?"




posted by Kevin at 11:32 PM

Vacation time, have a happy 4th.
posted by Kevin at 6:01 PM

In case you haven't noticed, there's a new banner at the top. Click on it and I think you will understand. Look at this too.
posted by Kevin at 4:58 PM

How our enemy fights:

A massive explosion rocked a mosque (search) in this restive Iraqi town, killing at least five Iraqi civilians and injuring four others, witnesses and hospital officials said Tuesday.

Iraqi civilians said the blast was caused by a missile or bomb strike, but American soldiers at the scene disputed that account, saying it was likely caused when explosives hidden at the site went off.

...About a dozen Iraqis were gathered around the blast Tuesday morning, sifting through the rubble for pieces of metal they said proved the damage was caused by an American attack.

"These are pieces of a missile," said Aqeel Ibrahim Ali, 26, who was standing on a concrete slab overlooking the destruction, holding out a box filled with metal shards. "An airplane shot a missile."

He thinks we would use a missile to blow up a mosque. It's a propaganda attack, plain and simple. This is the way our enemies fight: they ruthlessly sacrifice their own people to win.


posted by Kevin at 10:49 PM

Excellent analysis of the whole WMD/Bush lied ordeal:

It is understandable that the U.N. inspectors and even more, the military search teams, have had difculty penetrating the sophisticated, well-rehearsedand protected WMD program in Iraq. The task was made infinitely more challenging by the fact that Iraq was, and indeed still is, a "republic of fear." Through my indirect contact with some senior Iraqi weapons scientists, I have been given to understand that the reign of terror is still in place.

Outsiders who have not dealt with Iraq cannot easily understand the extent to which the terror of the Hussein years has penetrated that unhappy nation. As long as Hussein and his sons are not apprehended or proven dead, few if any of those involved in the weapons program will provide information on their activities. The risk of terrible revenge against oneself or one's family is simply too great. The first point on a WMD agenda must be to create a safe environment free from the remnants of terror.

Read the whole thing.


posted by Kevin at 10:49 PM

How very, very interesting:

Liberia said Saturday it was in talks with foreign countries to send a force to stop fighting that has left hundreds dead, as U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan joined calls for urgent intervention.

Pressure has grown on the United States to lead a multinational force after the second bloody rebel assault within 10 days on the capital, Monrovia. They are fighting to oust President Charles Taylor, a former warlord wanted for war crimes by an international court. Liberia’s government said talks on a force had already begun with the United States and West African countries. Taylor, who was told to step down this week by President Bush, said Liberia would not hesitate to invite in American troops to bring calm. “This government is interested in working with Washington on resolving this problem in the continued promotion of democracy,” he told reporters. Annan said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council that it should meet immediately to agree on intervention.

We had Iraq, where Saddam Hussein ruled the the place with an iron fist, killed off anyone who didn't like him, and had ambitions of developing nuclear weapons which would have put him in a position to kill millions. Annan and the U.N. did everything they could to try to prevent us from going in there. However, he has no qualms about asking us to go into the middle of a civil war in Africa to try to sort things out there. The U.N. truly is a fantasy-land. Up is down, left is right, logic is insanity. We have got our hands full with the Iraq situation right now. Why isn't Annan offering to send peacekeepers over there? The answer is because it would help America. The U.N.'s agenda is to shackle America, and we need to take a hard look as to how much longer we are going to put up with it. I feel bad that we can't help the Liberians directly, but we are stretched as it is. I would be okay with providing some logistical support and some weapons, but as for American troops, no way.

posted by Kevin at 5:40 PM

If this turns out to be true, everything becomes very different:

Ayman al-Zawahiri (search), Usama bin Laden's right-hand man, was reported last night to be in custody in Iran along with several other top Al Qaeda (search) leaders.

The Arabic news channel Al-Arabiyah (search) said the fanatic Egyptian-born doctor is under arrest in Iran along with bin Laden's son Saad and Al Qaeda's infamous spokesman Abu Ghaith.

The report said they may be sent back to their home countries.

This was reported a few days ago, but was denied by Iran. Now, though, it looks like the cat is out of the bag. There are a whole hell of a lot of questions that are going to come out if it's true. Verification before speculation on this one.


posted by Kevin at 10:54 AM

More intrigue on the cease-fire:

Israel’s agreement to withdraw forces from the Gaza Strip and turn over security to the Palestinian Authority, made after intense U.S. pressure on the eve of national security adviser Condoleezza Rice’s trip to the region, is an enormous gamble that could backfire and leave the new peace effort in tatters, diplomats involved in the effort said.

Officials close to the talks said they are unsure whether the Palestinian Authority has the will, inclination or capacity to confront and eventually dismantle anti-Israeli militant organizations responsible for suicide attacks, as demanded by Israel and the United States. If the Palestinian Authority fails to take action — or if a massive suicide bombing takes place under Palestinian watch — then Israel likely will say it has no choice but to move its forces back into Gaza, dooming the U.S.-backed peace plan.

I think that "unsure" is being too kind. I think that most intelligent people have no confidence in the PA whatsoever. This might be the move that Israel has been waiting for though. It is almost a given that one of the terrorist outfits will break this cease-fire, because their agenda is not peace. However, when that happens, it will be very difficult to say that Israel does not have the right to retaliate. I say we drop the reins and let the IDF do a little cleaning up. If the Palestinians won't destroy the terrorist groups there, Israel must.




posted by Kevin at 9:55 AM