Off To A Bad Start

I know, I know, most people are sick to death of hearing about Iraq, but it is still there, and it is still costing lives, both coalition and Iraqi. Today a Bradley fighting vehicle sounds like it just disintegrated, killing all seven on board, in Baghdad - I thought those things were pretty sturdy, how much TNT would you need to wreck one of them? And the country is awash in explosives and guns and stuff...



Off topic a bit, but why don't the Americans guarantee the right to bear arms in any new Iraqi constitution? I mean, it works for the US doesn't it?



Should this guy be elected like president of the world or something? There is a Maori word - native tribes of New Zealand, if you didn't know - mana, that roughly translates to highest honour in English, and an aura about him, that's what Mandela has. Sure he was a commie before and probably during his time in prison, but obviously being a communist during the 50s and 60s doesn't scar you for life LOL. Now why did Mandela grow into a statesman and others thinking Mugabe don't? Wide and varied topics for even African politics to make an appearance LOL...



Is there ANY traffic allowed in Washington DC nowadays? This report saying that three blocks from Penn Avenue will be closed off during the inauguration, what with the no traffic zones around the White House and stuff. Say what you will about the whole war on terror thing, security budgets around the world have absolutely skyrocketed. Are there enough qualified people to protect the world from it's own fears? And on a related note, why do they still call it the Secret Service, it's not particularly secret is it? Better to call it the Praetorian Guard and all, Washington being the new Rome and all LOL...



Just thinking of the security screenings on inauguration day - let's see your 2004 net income, and your political party affiliation, no poor people or Democrats LOL...



Hmm, Howard (Australian PM for you out of towners LOL) apparently has no faith in the UN. After the tsunami conference in Jakarta yesterday, when it was agreed that the UN should take the lead role in coordinating the relief effort, insists that the billion dollars in aid to Indonesia he pledged earlier in the week will go nowhere near the UN. Hmm, someone has drunk from the right wing US press kool aid LOL...



'"But it's just unnecessarily bureaucratising the situation and also frankly unacceptably passing control of the Australian taxpayers' money into the hands of others for us [not] to deal with that on a bilateral basis."'



I'm a great believer in foreign aid and all that, worked in the field for a couple of years there, but what on Earth is Howard on about if giving money to Indonesia is NOT passing control of Australian taxpayers money to another country? Oh, that's right, the oversight committee for this billion is more about politics than aid - oops, moi, cynical, surely not LOL :)



What a great but ultimately depressing movie on at the moment - Leaving Las Vegas, Nicolas Cage dies of drink, the Russian boyfriend has a mental breakdown, and Elisabeth Shue gets stuck in the middle... but what a middle to get stuck in with mmmm :)



Off to Elisabeth Shue land LOL

Pauly