War, Politics, and Life by Bruce Maulden
Although the name of the supposedly “lone service member” who killed 16 Afghan civilians a week ago has finally emerged — Sgt. Bob Bales — the names of the victims of the rampage haven’t seen the light of day. As Paul Woodward wrote at War In Context, the reason: Because they are not Americans. These…
Another under-reckoning. From Nature: Recent studies have focused on the short-term contribution of the Greenland ice sheet to sea-level rise, yet little is known about its long-term stability. … Here, using a fully coupled model, we show that this criterion systematically overestimates the temperature threshold and that the Greenland ice sheet is more sensitive to…
Some joy from the Arctic Methane Emergency Group: We declare there now exists an extremely high international security risk* from abrupt and runaway global warming being triggered by the end-summer collapse of Arctic sea ice towards a fraction of the current record and release of huge quantities of methane gas from the seabed. Such global…
Sweet, Tiny Tim Geithner waxed philosophical last night, turning a gothic-literary phrase in explaining high US gas prices: Oil moves around in a “dangerous and uncertain world.†No shit nit-twit sherlock. And bravely battling this uncertain danger, yesterday I put another $20 worth of gas in my just-back-from-the mechanic Jeep Comanche, pulling the handle at…
Flowers blooming early — spring ain’t til next Tuesday: “My nightmare now is this weather,†Japanese ambassador to the U.S. Ichiro Fujisaki said at press briefing today at the National Press Building. “What are we going to do if all the cherry blossoms bloom before we start [the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival]?,†he said.…
People in the right-turn lane in the US South are wound up tighter than dick’s hatband: “We pray that you will lift him up and… make it known before this nation this is the man that you have for this country,” the man said, before adding that the right person is “not someone who wants…
Mitt Romney gave his most-rich thoughts yesterday on the massacre of Afghan civilians over the weekend: Asked whether he agrees with conservative commentators who say the U.S. should accelerate the pullout, Romney said Monday that he “wouldn’t jump to a new policy” because of a “deranged, crazy person.” Crazed, of course. The US Army staff…
Understatement on the crazed shootings yesterday in Afghanistan: It is believed that, some time before the killings, the soldier suffered a nervous breakdown. In a bad situation getting worse, the incident only makes it near-imperative the US and NATO get the shit out of that country, and like way-now. US peoples know, but the powers-that-be…
UPDATE BELOW From Aljazeera English: Â “We are now being told by the police sources that the US soldier left his base at three o clock this morning. It would have been pitch-black wherever he walked,” he said. From the perspective of one neighbourhood in Herat: “The soldier went through three separate houses, shooting at…
Now we’re taxiing in, she says, “Welcome to O’Hare International Airport . . .” Well, how can someone who is just arriving herself possibly welcome me to a place she isn’t even at yet? Doesn’t this violate some fundamental law of physics? We’re only on the ground for 4 seconds; she’s coming on like the…