Bad news

[Picture this]
9%

WTF are they pulling with Bolivia now?

[article] Rice targets jobs in Bolivia.
Let's pressure this socialist democracy.
---
Unemployment was the number one issue in the 2002 election, and the failure of President "Goni" to deliver jobs was the cause of his ouster in 2003.
Yes, Bolivia has natural gas, which the vermin would like to get.

Shithead

Hayden claimed 'state-secrets' in the Rich Barlow case. Barlow had reported that Pakistan had the bomb and was conducting a market in nuclear technology. He was fired for trying to alert the administration to the A. Q. Kahn network.
[story]

Charlie Wilson's War

funds Pakistan's nuclear program.

1974/05: India surprises the west by exploding a nuclear weapon
1975/12: AQ Kahn steals nuclear secrets from the Dutch
1978/04: socialist Revolution in Afghanistan
1979/02: Islamic Revolution in Iran against the Shah
1979/07: Carter authorizes action against Afghanistan
1979/12: USSR invades Afghanistan.
1980/04: Carter's failed rescue of hostages
1980/09: Iraq invades Iran

1982: Charlie sends money to Pakistan to give to the Afghans.
1982/12: Rumsfeld greets Sadaam
1985: US sells 40 F16's to Pakistan as "Peace Gate I & II"
1987: Charlie sends stingers, some of which Pakistan sells
1987: Pakistan detonates an atomic bomb, in China. 1
1988/05: USSR begins to leave Afghanistan
1988: India leases three nuclear subs from USSR
1989: Pakistan modifies the F-16 to carry atomic weapons.

(15 years later)

2004/02: A Q Khan takes the fall and is pardoned.

Clean coal

Ironweed DVD club

[Special interest films].

A Crisis

Is a terrible thing to waste. [Richard Heinberg]

Con man

Sometimes it takes more than confidence.

Why do they hate us?

When we are so good.

Privatization fucks us again

A private company, USEC, was "spun-off" the Department of Energy, giving it the job of providing enriched uranium to the US. In addition to enriching uranium ore, they were asked to take old atom bombs from the USSR, and include that material in their nuclear fuel product. This line of production was more costly, so USEC secretly discouraged Russia from accelerating the shipment of its warheads to the US for processing. (Joseph Stiglitz)
[1] NY Times article, before the scandal
[2] Paducah Sun article about Russian warhead glut
[3] Stiglitz on the 'hush money' to MinAtom, the Russian partner

In other news

China walks in space.

Something is happening here

and you don't know what it is. Do you. Mr Jones.
[This] may help. It's the borg.

No Exit

[Art]

India helps Saadam go nuclear (Globe and Mail, 2005)

[full article]
Nuclear cooperation between India and Iraq started in 1974 under the direct supervision of Saddam Hussain himself on the Iraqi side when he was still the Vice President. Saadam flew to India specially to sign a Nuclear Cooperation Treaty with the then Indian Prime Minster Late Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The little known Treaty involved the exchange of scientists, training and technology.

India tested its first nuclear explosive device on 18 May 1974, in less than two months time from signing of these agreements.

Tyranny and backwardness

They go hand-in-hand. [Slater]
Which way are we headed?
--- He also says ---
the early Christians embraced radically democratic values and practices, but they, too, were soon engulfed by the universal authoritarianism of the age.

Dilawar

d. Dec 5, 2002,
Bagram, Afghanistan
while in custody

Intelligence failures

01. stability of Iran under the Shah
Jimmy Carter, new year's eve, 1977:
"Iran, because of the great leadership of the Shah, is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world. This is a great tribute to you, your Majesty, and to your leadership, and to the respect and the admiration and love which your people give to you."
02. formerly known as the Soviet Union
03. Saadam will not invade Kuwait
04. Saadam is a grave and gathering threat
05. yellow cake
06. the fundamentals of the economy are sound
07. India's atomic bomb
08. Tonkin Gulf
09. remember the Maine
10. arctic ice caps
11. peak oil
12. Iran/contra
13. overthrow Allende
14. overthrow Hugo Chávez
15. overthrow Mohammad Mossadegh
16. overthrow Saadam
17. rejection of 'grand bargain' from Iran
18. we will be greeted with flowers
19. we do not torture
20. School of the Americas
21. De-Stalinization
22. Sputnik
23. the missle gap
24. overthrow Castro
25. Kobar Towers
26. the Pueblo
27. 9-11
28. Vietnam
29. World Trade Center Bombing
30. Douglas Feith *
31. Gorbachev
32. Pearl Harbor
33. Francis Gary Powers
34. the Chinese embassyin Yugoslavia
35. the Chinese will not cross the Yalu Rive
36. Alrich Ames