zenpundit.com

WHICH BRINGS UP THE POINT OF WHY: The mainstream press, with some exceptions like The Economist, tends to ignore what blogging indicates to be a vast market of well-educated people hungry for openly partisan commentary at a deeper level of thought than USA TODAY ( not to knock USA, it serves it’s readership well and is a quick overview of the news – sometimes that is what you need). I read ” the other side ” frequently usually starting with Tom Spencer on HNN and I hear the same dissatisfaction being echoed about the mainstream media ( though Tom’s complaint, like Eric Alterman’s, is that the media are *not* liberal – an argument I find to be, at best, based upon semantics). I would think that there is money to be made with dead-tree versions of blogging or at least, newspapers with an intellectually sharper edge to their op-ed pages.

THANKS GIVEN: To Geitner Simmons of Regions of Mind for linking to my somewhat technically incompetent and grammatically-challenged blog. Rest assured that I shall return the favor as soon as I figure out what the hell I am doing. Geitner’s site is well worth the trip and analyzes issues at a depth that generally gets skimmed over at best in the mainstream press.

IN WHO’s NAME ??: Well, in addition to Kim Jong Il cheerleaders of ANSWER and Revolutionary Communist Party cultists the antiwar movement is increasingly being directed by Islamist organizations that sympathize with al Qaida. While there are many in the rank and file of the antiwar movement who oppose all wars or question this one are they not uncomfortable that their movement’s driving figures are anti-American zealots ? Say what you want about the Clinton-haters of yesteryear, unlike the Bush-haters of today, the former never lined up in support of a movement led by Nazis and terrorists.

THE FUTURE of WAR: Here is the tip of the iceberg. The impending war with Iraq will be a transitional war that demonstrates that the integration of new technologies means that ” The revolution in military affairs ” is more than merely a catchy slogan. Nanotechnology, robotics, quantum computing and genetic engineering will change warfare and the structure of the U.S. armed services in the next thirty to fifty years that today’s soldier will look as quaint in 2053 as a Minuteman with a musket. The gap in power projection ratio per unit between American forces and that of any major ” peer competitor” will resemble that of thousands of Somali militiamen fighting a tiny handful of air assault troops in Blackhawk Down. Unfortunately, the technologies that greatly enhance the capabilities of individual U.S. soldiers can be duplicated by non-state actors or ” lone wolf ” terrorists as well.

FALLING OUT AGAIN: Ok, I’m not sure why the link isn’t working, here’s the article from the Telegraph:

Gaddafi angry at ‘humiliation’

By Alan Philps in Jerusalem

(Filed: 04/03/2003)

Libya yesterday recalled its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in protest at the public humiliation meted out to its leader Muammar Gaddafi by Crown Prince Abdullah, the heir to the Saudi throne.

In televised exchanges between the two men at the start of an Arab League summit, the Saudi pointed his finger at Libya’s leader and said: “Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country and not an agent of colonialism like you and others. As for you, who brought you to power? Don’t talk about matters that you fail to prove. You are a liar, while the grave is ahead of you.”

Col Gaddafi also vowed to turn his back on the Arab world by pulling his country out of the 22-member League of Arab States in order to find a new destiny as an African nation.

The argument between Col Gaddafi and Crown Prince Abdullah, the day-to-day ruler of Saudi Arabia since his brother King Fahd fell ill, exposed several raw nerves in the run-up to the expected American assault on Iraq and highlighted the disunity of the Arab world.

While it is not uncommon for the Arab press to accuse Col Gaddafi of being unbalanced, the Saudi newspaper Okaz said yesterday he was more dangerous than “arrogant foreign powers” and it was time for him to be overthrown.

“There is no way to face potential dangers without this courageous and essential step,” said the newspaper, which reflects official thinking in Riyadh. “Dealing with the madness of Gaddafi and others like him must be the first point on the agenda of a programme to reform the Arab situation, otherwise this nation will go from bad to worse.”

The argument erupted after Col Gaddafi told the assembled leaders that King Fahd had made a pact with the devil by relying on US support in the 1991 Gulf crisis.

Crown Prince Abdullah shot back by accusing the colonel of coming to power in 1969 with the blessing of the Americans.