View from the Inside plus The Daily Show

I came across this blog interview last week over at Patterico's Pontifications. The interview was with a man who served at Guantanamo and spoke with the prisoners. Being the first account I had actually read or even heard of from someone who had spent significant time in Guantanamo and interacted with the prisoners I found it extremely interesting and enlightening on a number of counts. From my perspective it is refreshing to look at a personal account of the situation on the ground beyond all the media spin and politicizing. Take from it what you will.

And on a much lighter night, I can't resist linking to this video from last week's Daily Show where Jon Stewart reports on a confrontation between Columbia students and the Minutemen.

News - Boycott Citgo

A few months back I wrote about gas prices, trying to explain why they were so high at the time. Reducing America's demand for oil was a key issue I raised and among the many good reasons for doing so one is that so much of the money spent on oil ends up supporting the corrupt and authoritarian regimes of oil-rich countries in Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, etc.
While I still encourage Americans to reduce there consumption of oil wherever possible there is something else that can be done with far greater ease. Pass by the Citgo station when you need to fill up your tank. For those who are still unaware Citgo is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Venezualen government and Hugo Chavez depends on such oil money to subsidize handouts, fund his propaganda, and maintain his power. Not buying Venezualen gas would go a long way to undermine this power and while he never believed Americans to be capable of doing so the grassroots response to his U.N speech suggests that he might have been wrong. Do your part and boycott Citgo.

News - Something else to blame on global warming

Lately, it seems like 1 thing has been consistent just about anywhere in the US (and in many cases beyond). It is hot!! But not only is it hot, it is dry, with huge chunks of the country suffering from drought. Of course, hot and dry mean forest fires, which have already caused considerable damage out west. With things the way they are this fire season could prove as scorching as 1999 and 2003, 2 notoriously bad years.

It seems fire experts agree that wildland fires are becoming larger and more devastating and explanations ranging from forestry practices to the actual firefighting have been offered in the past. However, an article published last month in Science offered a new, and seemingly logical, explanation by directly connecting the increase to climate change. While I have included the article for you to look at yourself the basic synopsis is that drier forests resulting from earlier spring thaws and drier, hotter summers mean more and bigger fires. Just one more thing to consider when you go to buy your next SUV.

News/Film - Lost City

Around this time last night I saw Cubans dancing across Miami and learned that Castro, for the first time in 47 years, had "temporarily" relinquished power to his brother. While it is still too early to interpret what this actually means for the "maximum leader", Cuba, and the future it is my hope that I will have the opportunity to be smoking Cubans in Havana sooner than later.

Anyway, the timing of this news was interesting, from my perspective, because I had just gone to see "The Lost City." By and starring Andy Garcia the film takes place in Cuba and follows a family during the revolution and was one of the best I have seen in recent memory. I'm not going to review it, but considering I had not even heard of it until my friend brought me to the theater to see it I thought I should get the word out. I suggest you at least look into it and if it looks like something you might be interested in seeing I strongly recommend it. And if that is not good enough for you I will add that Bill Murray is in it and (of course) steals the show.

News - Annan's Claims Unraveling?

I was rather shocked and disturbed Tuesday when I read a news report stating that a UN post had apparently been hit by the Israelis, killing 4. I was then also shocked to see this followed up by a statement from Kofi Annan referring to the incident as a "deliberate targeting by Israeli Defense Forces." It seemed unusual and perhaps unfair to make such a judgment and strong condemnation of one side so quickly. Now it is starting to look like I may have been right.

Perhaps I should have added another question to my previous post: who uses the UN as shields?

News - Middle East Crisis

It has now been 2 weeks since the outbreak of violence in Lebanon and Israel and as the fighting rages civilian casualties and suffering continue to mount. The worst violence has fallen on Lebanon, resulting in countless calls for a ceasefire and criticism of Israel throughout the international community. However, I feel a few basic questions might be asked to help one determine who really deserves the blame and responsibility for the humanitarian crisis now unfolding.

1. Who provoked this war by first invading a sovereign state and then killing and capturing its soldiers? (Something that has been done multiple times in the past as well)
2. Who amassed a massive arsenal, that was estimated to include 12,000 rockets and missiles at the start of the conflict, while devoted to the elimination of an entire nation? (All while, according to the UN, they were supposed to be disarmed)
3. Who indiscriminately fires on military and civilian targets alike?
4. Who completely disregards human life by utilizing citizens, even women and children, as human shields; blending in among civilians and using homes and apartment buildings for military headquarters and weapons storage?

NEWS: Hummer- RIP

I would like to take this time to mark the passing of the Hummer (H1), which, as recently announced, will be discontinued after 2006. Before the Hummer few had thought to use a military vehicle for civilian purposes. But with its introduction in 1992 a tool originally designed to drive through mountain terrain and across battlefields was now available for tools to drive as they went to the grocery store and picked up their kids at soccer practice. No other vehicle could so effectively endanger national security, the environment, and the lives of all those on the road all at the same time. With the Hummer no longer available where will people turn to next as they look to declare these issues are of no concern to them because they are so much better than you? Perhaps to the tank, or as Dane Cook suggested, the cement mixer.

While considered a status symbol, the Hummer itself enjoyed special status. Due to a loophole in legislation, which had originally been intended to aid farmers, owners of a Hummer were able to write off up to $100,000 as business expense. And due to another loophole it, as a vehicle weighing over 8,400 lbs (the H1 actually weighs over 10,000), was not required to reveal its gas mileage to consumers. Gas mileage however has been estimated at near 9 miles per gallon (less than half the efficiency of the original Ford Model T).

Still, while the time of the original Hummer may now be passing its legacy will live on in the H2 and H3. The H2, a slightly smaller (but still enormous) version of the H1, has seen sales triple since last year, which seems to assure that the behemoths will continue to guzzle gas and pollute the environment at a remarkable rate for years to come.