"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
by Katherine (5th in a series. Previous posts: 1, 2, 3, 4) One of the main arguments I’ve heard lately for amending the War Crimes Act is that Common Article 3’s prohibitions against "humiliating and degrading treatment" and outrages upon personal dignity" are too vague and ambiguous for interrogators to follow, leaving our troops at … Read more
by hilzoy I still seem to be too flattened to come up with a proper post; so in the absence of anything better, I thought I’d compile a little list, in response to the number of posts I’ve read recently saying that we need to let Israel finally deal a decisive blow to Hezbollah. My … Read more
by hilzoy The combination of heat, fatigue (up at 5!), and the dperessing state of the world leaves me unable to be appalled in any articulate way, so I’ll just note these horrifying events from Iraq. Yesterday: ” Masked attackers with heavy machine guns mounted on pickup trucks slaughtered at least 40 people in a … Read more
by Andrew Inspired by Liberal Japonicus, I thought I’d take a look at the relative merits of international law intended to create broad guidelines vs. ad hoc coalitions brought together to address specific problems. To be precise, the question is how to best handle issues considered in our national security when working in the international … Read more
by Andrew "I shall represent the Narn Regime to the best of my ability, Ambassador!" "Just don’t give away the home world." Ambassador G’Kar giving negotiating instructions to his aide Ko’Dath, Babylon 5 It seems that Iran has asked the G8 not to refer the question of its nuclear program to the UN Security Council. … Read more
by Andrew Mark me down as in complete agreement with Kevin Drum about signing statements. He notes that the minority in Hamdan cited President Bush’s signing statement to buttress the dissent. For those unfamiliar with them, signing statements are legal documents the President attaches to legislation he signs that outline his interpretation of what he … Read more
by Andrew [Insert obligatory Flock of Seagulls reference here.] I noted the pointer to this RedState thread a few days ago, but withheld comment until I had a little more time to think about it. The basic thesis of the post is given in the post’s title: War Or Capitulation. This thesis rests on one … Read more
by hilzoy One reason I was interested in Bush’s remarks today is because I have been trying to find, somewhere, some sign that this administration is doing something to exercise leadership in the Middle East. If anyone else has seen one, let me know; some serious looking on my part has failed to uncover anything … Read more
by hilzoy Via Greg Djerejian, this astonishing remark by our President: “I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq where there’s a free press and free religion, and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same … Read more
Open thread, because you deserve it. Bonus points to anyone who correctly identifies the source of the post title.
by Andrew It seems so futile to even bother writing about this war, given there seems to be little hope of it being resolved in our lifetimes. With what appear to be punitive strikes in the mix of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, they are likely to stir up desires for revenge among the people of … Read more
by hilzoy We’re on a road trip! And we have a road map! Of course, we might have to knock a few heads, maybe pick up some small crappy little country and throw it against the wall… After all, the road to Jerusalem leads through Baghdad. So we’re right where we should be. “We have … Read more
by Andrew "Physics tells us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. They hate us, we hate them, they hate us back. And so, here we are, victims of mathematics!" Ambassador Londo Mollari, Babylon 5 It’s hard not to wonder if that isn’t the problem as Israel continues its war against … Read more
by hilzoy (Note: this is just going to be a background post on the whole mess with Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah. Too much is happening for one post, so I’ll probably put up another on current developments, like the rocket hitting Haifa, later.) I have a very, very bad feeling about what’s happening in Israel, … Read more
by Andrew Vietnam was popular fodder for movies from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s. War pictures are thought to be good box office material, what with all the shooting and explosions and whatnot, and more highbrow directors could use Vietnam to tell more plot-oriented stories. Of the various films, the only one that really … Read more
by Charles The 2006 winner of worst opening sentence goes to Jim Guigli, who penned this little gem: Detective Bart Lasiter was in his office studying the light from his one small window falling on his super burrito when the door swung open to reveal a woman whose body said you’ve had your last burrito … Read more
by Andrew
One of the first comments to my first post asked whether or not I could elaborate a little on my military background. So I’m responding to that request here. But since I have no idea how significant the interest is in it, I’m keeping it below the fold so you can slip past it if you’re not interested.
I know…Israel’s at war, Iraq’s getting uglier by the day, and the new guy wants to talk about himself. What an ego.
by hilzoy It has been down all day, and now it seems to have eaten Andrew’s and Charles’ last posts, along with their comments. — I had just noticed that the behind-the-scenes website seemed to have no record of their existence, and was contemplating cutting and pasting copies and then emailing Charles and Andrew to … Read more
by hilzoy
Maureen Dowd Eric Lipton has a good column article today. It’s about the Department of Homeland Security’s “National Asset Database”, which lists some 8,591 possible terrorist targets. Not surprisingly, it turns out to contain some peculiar things:
“It reads like a tally of terrorist targets that a child might have written: Old MacDonald’s Petting Zoo, the Amish Country Popcorn factory, the Mule Day Parade, the Sweetwater Flea Market and an unspecified “Beach at End of a Street.”
But the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, in a report released Tuesday, found that the list was not child’s play: all these “unusual or out-of-place” sites “whose criticality is not readily apparent” are inexplicably included in the official federal antiterrorism database. (…)
In addition to the petting zoo, in Woodville, Ala., and the Mule Day Parade in Columbia, Tenn., the auditors questioned many entries, including “Nix’s Check Cashing,” “Mall at Sears,” “Ice Cream Parlor,” “Tackle Shop,” “Donut Shop,” “Anti-Cruelty Society” and “Bean Fest.”
Even people connected to some of those businesses or events are baffled at their inclusion as possible terrorist targets.
“Seems like someone has gone overboard,” said Larry Buss, who helps organize the Apple and Pork Festival in Clinton, Ill. “Their time could be spent better doing other things, like providing security for the country.”
Angela McNabb, manager of the Sweetwater Flea Market, which is 50 miles from Knoxville, Tenn., said: “I don’t know where they get their information. We are talking about a flea market here.” (…)
One business owner who learned from a reporter that a company named Amish Country Popcorn was on the list was at first puzzled. The businessman, Brian Lehman, said he owned the only operation in the country with that name.
“I am out in the middle of nowhere,” said Mr. Lehman, whose business in Berne, Ind., has five employees and grows and distributes popcorn. “We are nothing but a bunch of Amish buggies and tractors out here. No one would care.”
But on second thought, he came up with an explanation.
“Maybe because popcorn explodes?””
Ha ha ha. Those kidders at the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to Nix’s Check cashing, there’s also a Mailboxes Etc., a tackle shop, and something listed only as “inn”. I’m sure all the patrons of these fine establishments will feel safer knowing that DHS is keeping an eye on them. If only the same could be said for the rest of us.
But how, I hear you ask, did DHS manage to add insult to the possibility of injury? Well, as I was reading the actual DHS report (pdf), I got to its first list of “Examples of Out-of-Place Assets” (p. 11). Assets are supposed to be either “critical infrastructure” or “key assets”, and key assets are defined as follows: “Key assets include symbols or historical attractions, such as prominent national, state, or local monuments and icons.” (pp. 2-3) “Out-of-Place Assets” are things that do not meet these criteria, but are on the list anyways; this list picks out some supposedly egregious examples. And there, along with Nix’s Check Cashing, Mall At Sears, Auto Shop, and one state’s “Right to Life Committee” (?!), what did I find?
by Andrew It’s nice to see that Congress is finally getting into the game, even if they are several years late. This is how our government is supposed to work, with each branch jealously guarding its turf from encroachments by the others. (I talked about why this doesn’t work a few months ago.) For the … Read more
by hilzoy CNN: “A series of seven explosions hit crowded rush-hour trains Tuesday evening in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, killing at least 135 people, police said. Officials said 250 to 300 people were injured in the blasts. There was some confusion about the number of dead and injured as information was compiled from … Read more
by hilzoy From the NYT: “In a sweeping change of policy, the Pentagon has decided that it will treat all detainees in compliance with the minimum standards spelled out in the Geneva conventions, a senior defense official said today. The new policy comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling last month invalidating a … Read more
by Andrew Iraq is an odd situation right now. We’re generally in agreement that the situation isn’t good. But when it comes to what to do next, suggestions on what to do next tend to draw a lot more fire than support. Pulling out runs into several significant obstacles: the Iraqis don’t want us to … Read more
by Katherine (4th in a series. Previous posts: 1, 2, 3) In response to the arguments that it is simply unsafe to abide by Common Article 3 in the war on terror: this is from page 380 of the September 11 Commission report: Recommendation: The United States should engage its friends to develop a common … Read more
by hilzoy Sound hyperbolic? Not really. From the WSJ (sorry, subscription wall), a story about a really great policy proposal: “The plan aims to address a problem in global drug markets: The countries that most need new treatments for diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis are those that can least afford to pay for them. … Read more
by Andrew How could I entrust a Democratic lawmaker to stand up to al-Qaeda, Iran, North Korea or some other angry extremist, if he or she won’t stand up to Daily Kos? So asks Jim Geraghty in a column about the Connecticut senate race between Senator Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont. The column is actually … Read more
by hilzoy Last weekend seems to have been particularly horrible in Baghdad: “Shiite militiamen rampaged through a Baghdad neighborhood Sunday morning, killing more than 50 people and leaving many of the bodies littering the streets, according to Iraqi officials and witnesses. The attacks were apparently retaliation for a car bombing at a Shiite mosque the … Read more
by Andrew First, as should be obvious, I’m the new poster hilzoy mentioned. I’m a Major in the United States Army Reserve. I served ten years on active duty before moving to the reserves, and I’ve been on active duty since January 2003. I’ve been blogging since October 2001 over at andrewolmsted.com, and it’s an … Read more
by hilzoy We have a new commenter poster/ member of the ObWi hivemind/whatever it is that I am. Well, maybe not, luckily for him. — I’ll let him introduce himself when he gets a chance, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up. Yay! Consider this an open thread.
by hilzoy I’ve been meaning to write about Foreign Policy’s Terrorism Index, a survey of 100 foreign policy experts about the war on terror. (“Participants include people who have served as secretary of state, national security advisor, retired top commanders from the U.S. military, seasoned members of the intelligence community, and distinguished academics and journalists.” … Read more
by Katherine (third in a series) Several of the people I quoted in the previous post claimed that Supreme Court’s holding on Common Article 3 "undermined" the Geneva Conventions. Rather than answer this argument myself, I thought I’d let the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) handle it. The Geneva Conventions would not exist … Read more
by Katherine (second in a series) Here are some typical criticisms of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld‘s holding on Common Article 3. Mark Steyn: The U.S. Supreme Court has now blown a hole in the animating principle behind the Geneva Conventions by choosing to elevate an enemy that disdains the laws of war in order to facilitate … Read more
by Katherine Last Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 margin that Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions applied to the war with al Qaeda, as a matter of treaty obligation. Contrary to what you’ll hear from a lot of right-wing commentators, the Court did not find that al Qaeda terrorists are prisoners … Read more