As a rule, I do not find those jokey anecdotes about dumb criminals funny, the Readers Digest kind of humor about some stick-up guy who includes his phone number, or whatever, in the note in a bank heist. Et cetera. Every once in while, in an incident where no one gets hurt – like the time some guy tried to rob a bank on a Friday afternoon, when several cops and Fibbies were waiting in line for their paychecks, and they all basically rushed him – okay. But usually, not.

 
This Xmas, someone got hold of one of my ...   more »

The push to war continues, with the White House pressing frenetically for passage of the ‘Iraq resolution’ in Congress. The push involves repeated, frantic and bogus claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
October 1-4, 2002:

 

 

Oct. 1, 2002 -- A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) is published by the National Intelligence Officer of CIA: Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs. The NIE includes the item about Niger uranium but not as a reason for thinking Saddam is reconstituting nuclear weapons programs. The NIE, which devotes some space and attention to the Niger uranium item, says, ...   more »