Why a threat today?

Why is Cindy Sheehan a Threat to George on Thursday, but Not Today?, by Amy Branham.

For the last couple of days I have been hearing that Cindy Sheehan will be considered a threat to national security if she does not leave her post by Thursday. At this point, it’s important to ask: why Thursday? Why is Cindy not a threat today or tomorrow? Why wasn't she considered a threat to national security Saturday when we first marched out to the ranch? What is the difference between Thursday and now?

Branham goes on to explain -- because the president is leaving Crawford today, and he'll have to drive past Cindy Sheehan to do it.

Beautiful Quote

From Assorted Ramblings of Gwen's Petty, Judgmental, Evil Thoughts:

So I posted bad thoughts about that, but then I went back and erased them. Screw those people and the sour grapes they rode in on, you know? Lately I've been making a really forceful attempt to be less angry. (Can you tell? No? Die and go to hell, then.)

That just totally cracked me up.

Fortified Peanut Butter in Nigeria

Hope for Hungry Children, Arriving in a Foil Packet

A fortified peanut butter nutritional supplement is saving the lives of starving Nigerian children.

The use of this supplement not only saves the kids themselves, but frees doctors up to tend those suffering other illnesses.

Traditionally, malnourishment meant hospitalization and fortified milk. Plumpy'nut can be given to mom and fed to the child at home, which means fewer beds and medical resources taken up by starving children. Plus, Plumpy'nut can be manufactured relatively locally.

One of the virtues of Plumpy'nut is that it can be made almost anywhere with local materials and a slurry of vitamins and minerals prepared by Nutriset. Versions of the same product are being manufactured in Malawi and in Niger's capital, Niamey, and Nutriset has welcomed the notion of local partners - from charities to women's groups - who might make Plumpy'nut under license or even as franchisees.

Do you see what that means? Not only can children be fed, but so can a local economy.

Pre-Approved for Terrorism, No Waiting!

Bruce Schneier articulates so much better than I have why these 'pre-approved' programs are a bad idea.

Orlando Airport's CLEAR Program

...the only purpose of [this verified identity] card is to divide people into two lines -- a fast line and a slow line, a "search less" line and a "search more" line, or whatever....

The reality is that the existence of the card creates a third, and very dangerous, category: bad guys with the card. Timothy McVeigh would have been able to get one of these cards. The DC sniper and the Unabomber would have been able to get this card. Any terrorist mole who hasn't done anything yet and is being saved for something big would be able to get this card. Some of the 9/11 terrorists would have been able to get this card. These are people who are deemed trustworthy by the system even though they are not. [Emphasis added.]

And even worse, the system lets terrorists test the system beforehand. Imagine you're in a terrorist cell. Twelve of you apply for the card, but only four of you get it. Those four not only have a card that lets them go through the easy line at security checkpoints; they also know that they're not on any terrorist watch lists. Which four do you think will be going on the mission? By "pre-approving" trust, you're building a system that is easier to exploit.

Downing Street Memo

These Are The Crimes That Try Men's Souls

...a leaked memo from Downing Street finally confirmed that Bush fabricated the entire war. On May 5th, 88 members of Congress signed a letter that gives the president a chance to explain himself.

British Intelligence Warned of Iraq War: Blair Was Told of White House's Determination to Use Military Against Hussein

"Military action was now seen as inevitable," said the notes, summarizing a report by Richard Dearlove, then head of MI6, British intelligence, who had just returned from consultations in Washington along with other senior British officials. Dearlove went on, "Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD [weapons of mass destruction]. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy."

I just keep stumbling every time I read that word, "fixed". It's just so this Administration. "We don't like the real world, so we'll live in a pretend one, instead, where Saddam had WMDs and was behind those planes on September 11, 2001". Well, he didn't. And, he wasn't. And we invaded his country, deposed him, and installed -- let's be honest -- something remarkably like a puppet government, as his replacement.

That's freedom on the march, baby.