Seems that the rest of the Arab countries are worrying about the announcement of the date for Iraq's elections...

"The debates that will take place ... are very important because they will look at the question of the elections and decide on whether they can take place on the date envisaged or whether it needs more reflection."

I wonder why they feel they should have a say in Iraq's election process. Maybe to try and ensure that it doesn't take place at all... After all, this election is a major major threat to all of those other Arab countries. How are their own people going to feel if the Iraqis elect a government and get a say in the direction their country is going? First Afghanistan and now Iraq are going to let WOMEN voice an opinion! I can think of few things that scare the Arab men more!

"If the elections took place but were boycotted, there would be a lack of equilibrium in the Sunni representation," he warned.

It seems that the other Arab countries have to have the democratic process explained to them in more detail. The fact is, people in a democratic society are FREE TO CHOOSE whether or not they will vote - not just how they vote. If the Sunni's want to sit this one out... well, that's their own problem. It is not a problem with democracy - they are just refusing to take a stand and have a say in the elections. It seems that the Sunni's (being a minority in Iraq) are a bit peeved because they know their own election views won't carry the day. Welcome to democracy Iraq! Hello Arab world... that is how it works. (or do we need to regress to teaching you the alphabet before we go on to more complicated concepts like popular vote?)

But the violence is also a major concern, raising questions about how democratic elections can be organized in a country were large bands of insurgents are still at large and capable of striking hard at civilians and security forces alike.

Hmmm - I seem to remember the same scare stories being circulated about Afghanistan a few weeks ago. I seem to remember that people came out in droves - under pretty extreme circumstances in order to cast their vote. I have a feeling, the same thing will happen in Iraq.

Yes, there are some very dangerous areas. There is a great, concern that violence will disrupt the election. But giving in to violence is NOT what democracy is about. Democracy is about overcoming violence to create a better world. That is what the Iraqis will be voting for on January 30th. That is what they will eventually achieve - so long as they don't allow other Arab dictatorships to stop their election process.

Good Luck Iraq!

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 12:10 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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It appears that a man named Jonathan Klein will be the President for CNN's US news group.

Oh - you may be wondering what qualifications he has for the role...

Klein was the former executive director of CBS News, with oversight of its flagship "60 Minutes" program.

Yes he should fit in perfectly...

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 11:41 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Writing with bated breath, MSNBC tells us

Two More Spies Resign From CIA

*Gasp* the entire agency is falling apart! Porter Goss is INSULTING long time CIA drones... they are leaving... quick - do something!

MSNBC (and, one assumes, the rest of the MSM) has their panties in a twist. Look what Bush has done! Pretty soon there will be not a single spy left!

And they've done such a stellar job up until now. Unable to infiltrate ANY Arab terrorist groups, few if any Arab language speakers, absolutely ZERO idea of what's going on in the Middle East. With a track record like that - makes you wonder what they're missing in the rest of the world...

Michael Scheuer, the CIA officer who led a secret unit to hunt down Osama bin Laden, now says he's not confident the world's leading terrorist will be caught anytime soon.

Hmmm - seems to me he is unable to do the job - good thing he resigned, I have a feeling his other option might have been being fired (doesn't look good on the resume!).

"The CIA is really being decimated now by Porter Goss," says Ron Kessler, author of the book 'A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush.' "People simply don't want to work there, they are looking for jobs. Why should they continue working for someone who treats them in such a nasty way?"

Gosh I suppose Mr. Goss actually had the utter temerity to ask them - why the hell they weren't doing their jobs! How could he be so crass?

It may take a while, but at this rate, Mr. Goss may have an agency with some semblance of functionality in the next few years. Stranger things have happened.

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 07:16 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 "decimated"

Well, ya DO have to plow under before you can re-plant :-)

Nice title, by the way :-)

Posted by: Harvey at November 19, 2004 04:13 AM (tJfh1)

2 First, Mr. Goss has a great name (same as my Daddy, his daddy, etc. etc)

Second, I'd do anything to work for the CIA. I've ALWAYS wanted to be a CIA analyst....Pick Me Sir! Pick Me!! I can keep a secret (ok, I just need to tell Bou and Teresa, but they won't tell).

Guess that wouldn't really work so well, would it?!?

Posted by: Tammi at November 19, 2004 07:58 AM (UOdfZ)

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Today I tuned in to Rush while I was driving around and he was presenting snippets of Carole Simpson speaking at a gathering called Media and President Bush's Second Term. Apparently it was carried on C-SPAN yesterday.

Upon listening to the several segments presented, I was absolutely appalled by the abysmal vocabulary displayed by Carole Simpson! I don't even care what it was she had to say - the way she said it was so bad, the rest of the message did not even come through! Ms. Simpson has been a reporter with ABC news for YEARS! She is not a teenager. Yet, if you only had this tape or transcript to judge her, you would be hard pressed to figure it out by her vocabulary. She speaks the same way my daughter did back when she was 15 years old!

For example:

They are chatting. They are on their phones constantly. They are talking to people on the phones. They're watching these reality shows. They are NOT watching the news. Then I'm going, "Oh, my God! Are our children going to grow up stupid?" and I don't say that to them, but when I hear some of their answers to questions, I'm like, "They still think that Saddam Hussein blew up the World Trade Center," and I'm telling you, I've been all over the country, and I'm like, "Oh, my God! How could they miss this?" and then I look at the election, and I'm going, "Well, of course our kids are not bright about these things because their parents aren't." Seventy percent of the people of America still believe that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the World Trade Center, and that's why we're at war, and I'm like, "Oh, my God! Nobody is looking at news."

Then like Oh My God! I realized this is a grown woman and like she's supposed to be educated and I'm going, "I can't believe a grown woman can talk like that and accuse other people of being stupid" Oh My God!!!

Check out the link where you can hear it for yourself... yes it sounds MUCH worse when spoken. And this is one of the media elite! Makes me cringe.

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 01:06 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Arafat Critical; Vital Organs Functioning

At first I thought - well golly - guess the brain isn't really considered to be a 'VITAL" organ since Arafat is reported to be in a coma (at the very least). However it seems I was wrong about that...

"His brain, his heart and his lungs are still functioning and he is alive," Shaath said, giving the first detailed account of Arafat's treatment since he was hospitalized in France.

I suppose it all depends on what you mean by the word "functioning". It could mean that any sort of electrical activity in the brain (showing minimal functioning at the very least) is sufficient to prove Arafat is in as good a shape as any of the other terrorists who have strapped on a bomb and blown themselves up...

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 11:11 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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To all Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement Officers!!!!

We will never know of the attacks you stopped. But I must admit to an overwhelming gratitude to those who have worked so very hard this election season.

Think of it people... A HUGE election and NOT ONE SINGLE SOLITARY TERRORIST ATTACK!!!

That is incredibly remarkable.

Posted by: Teresa in Current Affairs at 05:20 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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