Recent News

1. The Nepalese riots are getting worse
2. Video: War games targeting Iran; Bush hasn't ruled out nukes
3. Iraq has a full government! Bush delights in it.
4. The Iran-Russia enrichment deal to go through.
5. Italy's government goes on
6. Army suicides up
7. Junior officers blame generals, not just Rumsfeld.
8. The Falun Gong protester may get six months?!
9. Crackdown on hiring illegal workers.

1. The Nepalese police are still violent, and the protesters aren't slowing down as the political party leaders said the King's offer wasn't good enough. I pray for no more bloodshed.
2. War games I understand, on the chance that Iran actually has a decent military nuke program running. But why can't we rule out using nuclear weapons ourselves? That'd be a great legacy to leave for our nation: "First country to use nuclear weapons offensively!"
3. al-Maliki's acceptance by all the major parties has paved the way for the filling of all high-level government posts; everybody spoke out against at least some violence. Sectarian lines are still highly visible, though, and likely to continue causing trouble. Meanwhile, Bush is hoping to emphasize this good news to justify the invasion.
4. Iran is correct; assuming they aren't conducting military nuclear research they do have the legal right to nuclear power under the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Better in Russia than Iran itself.
5. Conservative Berlusconi still refuses to concede while the victorious leftist coalition is fighting over who gets what. It almost makes the 2000 US elections look tame!
6. It's not actually certain the military suicide rate is related to Iraq because it tracks closely with civilian rates in that age group. Veterans groups are using it as an opportunity to speak out on post-traumatic stress disorder.
7. This New York Times piece says debate has sprung up after several retired generals called for Rumsfeld's resignation. There's no clearly dominant viewpoint among the junior officers interviewed: some extend the blame to the generals, others want to put it as high as President Bush. Very few are actually arguing for resignation, though.
   Personally, this whole episode is very interesting for the questions it raises about civilian control of the military and how much the military can talk back. I think I'm okay with the military calling for resignation as long as it doesn't start naming preferred replacements.
8. According to the Washington Post, Wenyi Wang, the Falun Gong practitioner who interrupted Chinese President Hu Jintao's White House speech, may get 6 months of jail time. That's disgusting.
9. The Homeland Security Deparment has dedicated 171 agents to work against employers who hire illegal immigrants. It's not nearly enough to be effective; opponents wonder if they're just trying to blunt conservative criticism. It's the first time in 20 years these employment laws have been enforced at all.