And Also: Good start for football unless you are the Jets, Bears, Packers, and so forth. The 1-0 win yesterday thanks to Randy Johnson et. al. is what has been missing from the Yanks season a bit too much; the Red Sox yet again brings it out. Too bad that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (11-4 vs. Yanks) might have doomed them, especially with Cleveland on fire (swept Twins, up 1.5 games in the Wild Card Race). And, why is tennis over after David Letterman? I don't watch it, but that's a bit dumb, isn't it?
Joshua Holland discussed the so-called Oil For Food Scandal. Read the
whole thing, but to summarize:
The program basically worked, saving many lives in the process
There was some leakage/corruption, but it was widely exaggerated
In real terms, the specific problem targeted by the usual suspects -- given everything -- is trivial
If one wants to blame, our own country's corporations and government probably deserves the most
This suggests the nature of the UN: an imperfect institution, reliant on key countries, but able to do real good
The stereotyping and spin from the freshman senator of Minnesota (sigh) down, is a cynical method of avoiding such things.
Anyway, the true focus should be on the incompetence of those who lead us. It is bad enough that they are getting to select at least two justices ... given the current track record, I wouldn't want them to pick a local dogcatcher though perhaps a certain FEMA head is qualified for the position. At the end of the day, this is nauseating. Like a drunk who has to hit bottom to get help, will this work? We shall see. The new book link (Dangerous Doses) suggests the breadth of the problem, but change at top has to be a beginning.
Update: The FEMA head, designated scapegoat, quit. If only the people who put him there did as well. But, you have to have a little bit of respect. Others purely incompetent did not quit.
