Posts Made By: Rod Kaufman

It appears the first victims of the lapse of the assault weapons ban have occured, just in time for the holidays. Five deer hunters were blown-away and others were wounded when another hunter, according to the investigating deputy, refused to give-up his hunting blind in a tree and opened-up with his SKS assault weapon.

The CNN website describes a new CIA report that provides more evidence of the decline in security in Iraq. The report is said to be unusually candid in it's presentation.
This is just one of a series of CIA reports that has described the deteriorating conditions in Iraq.
One wonders how "dubya" reconciles the CIA reports with his own thoughts about conditions in Iraq. I mean where are his intelligence reports about the status of security in Iraq that counter the results of the CIA reports?Anybody care to answer? Tick-toc, tick-toc, buzz, times up. It's just dubya's opinion that supports his own personal optimism on Iraq. His initial reaction to the first CIA report describing the probability of civil war in Iraq was "they are guessing". He then admitted it was wrong to call it a guess but he still doesn't believe the reports.
I suppose that since he does not read the newspapers, neither does he read the CIA reports. Dubya at the helm...

Despite all of the hype of the political right, German doctors utilized stem cells to grow new bone in the skull of a child. It seems the child fell and a huge defect in the skull could not be repaired through conventional means. In fact, the child had to wear a protective helmut and the brain could be seen pulsating through the defect in the skull.
Stem cells were mixed with bone cells and applied to the skull with the defect being repaired.
The stem cells were taken from the child's own body.
I am glad to know that California passed a proposition directing billions for stem cell research despite the resistance of the Bush administration. The biotech companies are going to want more of this kind of money when they get a taste of this source of funding. In order to do it, they will have to produce results.
If German doctors can successfully apply stem cells for a therapeutic cure, similar applications for bone grafting can occur elsewhere and research can and will take us there, despite the opposition and lack of funding of the Bush administration.

Well, Bush has managed to PO both parties on his administration's decision on the importation of drugs from Canada. The decision imposed such tight regulations that both parties have reacted angrily. You can imagine the response from the democrats so let's consider the response from the republicans. "I don't know whether to describe this as an insult or an embarrassment," said Rep. Gil Gutkneckt (R-Minn), one of a growing number of republicans who say they are willing to confront the president about whether Americans should be able to buy imported brand name drugs. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called the administration's decision, a disappointment."
During the presidential campaign, Bush hinted he might soften his stand on the importation of drugs from Canada but would never commit even though he was pressed on this issue by Kerry. Of course, he pushed through flu vaccinations for Florida voters from Canada despite the usual rhetoric from the white house regarding "safety concerns" about imported drugs.
I thought Bush said he was going to hold out his hand to both parties. It looks like the only hand holding in this instance is with the drug companies...

Allawi himself expressed the same setiments the other week and our CIA has stated the same in their own reports. That's about as strong as a consensus for civil war as it can get.
There are various factions in Iraq with their own agendas and beliefs and civil war will be the eventual outcome of the conflict.

Well, I see the CNN website is reporting the main Sunni minority party is pulling out of the so-called elections in January citing worsening security issues and concerns about the fairness of the elections. At the same time, the Shiite party headquarters were bombed.
Of course, there is the ongoing tragedy of the daily carnage as well as the 4.4 billion PER MONTH price tag of our involvement in the Iraqi abyss.(The 18000 US troops and 10 billion/year price tag in Afghanistan pales in comparison).
I see the US/coalition convoys have been reduced in favor of supplying the troops from supplies dropped by parachute and a major US firm has withdrawn because of the security issue.
And Dubya actually acknowledged last week that the training of Iraqi security forces by the US has produced only "mixed" results, perhaps preparing the faithful that the elections may not occur afterall...

Well, Rumy's at it again. He stated one of the planes on Sep 11 was "shot-down", fueling conspiracy theories that one of the planes was,indeed, shot down by a military plane.
While I don't believe in the theory, and the pentagon says Rumy made a mistake, it seems to me that someone in the position of secretary of defense has to be more accurate in what he says and does. Did he not learn anything from the critical comments leveled at him from the republican party?
How long is Dubya willing to defend this guy?

Well, the forest service and the Bush administration has had to back-off of the destruction of 175,000 acres of the Bridger-Teton forest in Wyoming as conservationists and hunters joined forces with the democratic governor and the republican senator to prevent drlling in the region.
Extensive drilling in Pinedale Wyoming has turned the area into an industrial landscape with oil rigs and screaming compressors threatening to block wildlife migration routes. The rigs are currently spaced every 20 acres but may now be placed every five acres.
But at least Bridger-Teton safe at this point.
Of course, the logging industry is jumping for joy over relaxed environmental rules via the Bush administrsation which is no surprise as they were a major contributor to the Bush campaign. They will be tearing up forests at a torid pace but at least something has been saved from destruction...

The LA Times has reported Bush's desire for an instant budget surplus by leaving off the costs of the war in Iraq and privatization of social security because the costs are "unknowable".
You gotta love it! I,like others writing to the Times after reporting on this boner, might just implement this system for ourselves. For example, take the adjustable rate mortgage, since rates in the future are unknown, just remove it from your budget! Car repairs? Also unknown, ditch those as well!
Result: instant budget surplus!
I always wondered how Bush forgave the Iraqi debt to the US of 4 billion dollars a few months ago. I thought he just wandered out to white house cherry tree and picked the moola from the branches and filled the federal coffers so the Iraqi debt is vaporized. Silly me, he just does not bother to count it in the first place!

The LA Times carried an interesting story about the plight of a resident of Fallouja.
It seems he, like other former residents of Fallouja, could not stand living in a squalid Baghdad shelter and returned to his hometown.
Seeing Fallouja for the first time in quite awhile came as a shock, "I couldn't stand it." "I was born in that town. I know every inch of it. But when I got there, I didn't recognize it."
Ponds of sewage in the streets. Decaying corpses in the streets.
No water or electricity. Gunfights between US troops and insurgents.
The former resident of Fallouja returned to the squalid Baghdad shelter he shares with one hundred other families from Fallouja. Who knows where the other 200,000 refugees have gone but they no longer clamor to return to their hometown, given it's present state.
But I am an optimist. It occurs to me the former resident of Fallouja simply does not understand the process. First, you have to destroy Fallouja in order to save it. Then, in comes MacDonalds, Burger King and Pizza Hut, followed by Falafel Take-Out. Not to mention Anacortes and Wild Bird.
The former resident of Fallouja just does not know what he is missing and the US will provide everything for him so he will know. What could be greater than that?