Font Rants on Many Subjects

A motercyclist tours the Chernobyl area. Haunting photos of a place where humankind scarred the earth.

Water and wealth is the key to this bad news from Iraq. Font reads between the lines for you. Al-Sistani doesn't want an agreement yet. Why would he; the current situation gives him a lot of power. The longer there isn't a civil authority in Iraq; the more powerful he is going to become because the Mosque will be the only place where people can go to get services; and his militia will be the ones keeping order. His strategy is simple, pressure for direct elections; delay while he builds his political base. I think he is aiming for a situation where the situation destablises just enough that we (the US) pull out; and his group takes over in the hastily organized direct elections. This leaves the Shi'ites in charge of Iraq the same way the Suni's used to be. The problem is if the situation destablizes too much Iraq will break apart; and the country is definatly worth more together. The Shi'ites don't want to give up the northern oil fields, and the water supplies that flow from up North. So they need to strike a balence where the country is chaotic enough to drive out the Americans; but not so crazy that Baghdad becomes Beruit.

Yet another reason to vote against Bush.

All I want for my birthday is a new President. In honor of my soon to be thirty-something birthday; I request no cards, gifts, or things; just get me a new President. Since we need an election for this; and winning the election will take money; how about giving a few bucks to John Kerry. From access stats for this blog I know that if each of my readers will give $31 dollars in my honor; we could raise as much as $93 dollars. This puts the presumtive Democratic nominee a mere $169,999,906 behind the current occupant.

Crap this is going to get really really bad really fast. Ashura is one of the most important dates in the Shi'a religous calendar. Coordinated attacks in Baghdad and Karbala ( the most important Shi'a city); Al-Sistani (the most important Shi'a Imam in Iraq) blames the US occupation. I would say there is a very high chance that Iraq is going to turn into a blood bath. I would say 90% chance of major riots tomorrow. Virtual certanty that there will be reprisals on a wide scale against sunis, and a 70% chance of low intensity civil war starting; and about 50/50 that a Bosnia style event happens. I've hear a lot of experts say we don't have enough troops over there to keep the peace; and if things get out of hand; we may not be able to calm things down.
This may become the Iraqi equivalent of the Tet offensive. In 1968 the Tet offensive pushed the highly ambivilant US media and powers that be, into the decided opinion that the war was unwinnable (as Cronkite susinctly put it). We can probably restore a fragile peace in Iraq in the short term, but what happens when a US barricks is overrun and a few marines are dragged through the streets by rioters. Then what? This administration won't cut and run, neither will any responsible US administration. They will have to look for a "peace with honor", however negotiating the terms of our exit from this tar baby will be a mess because every one over there wants us to leave on terms that puts them in the best position. Instead of negotiating with the North Vietnamise, we will be negotiating with four or five major factions; each with their own agenda.

God Hates Shrimp. In a fundie flamewar over gay marriage, or other do what the bible says or face God's judgement, kindly direct them to this site and ask, "So when was the last time you had a shrimp cocktail."