Political Satire/Commentary -- Daily Updates at PoliSat.Com TM © since 1999

·support our troops, support Bush, support Cheney, support victory in Iraq, support victory in Afghanistan, Clinton Liebrary, http://PoliSat.Com , PoliSatDOTcom, Salute America's Heroes, Fallen Heroes Fund, oppose Gore's Global Warming theory, support milblogs, Michael Yon, Pat Dollard, BlackFive, MilBlogs, MilBlogging, Michael Yon, Mudville Gazette, HotAir.Com, JawaReport, PajamasMedia , VictoryCaucus , VetsForFreedom , FreedomsWatch , DayByDayCartoon , WrennCom.Com , Video , Political Satire, Politics, News, oppose MoveOn.Org, oppose Code Pink, oppose DailyKos, oppose ANSWER, support PoliSat.Com, support WrennCom.Com, ·

First Things First: Salute America's Heroes · Fallen Heroes Fund · Frequent-Flyer-Miles for Troops · Thanks to Troops · Military News ·· MilBlogs ·

Home · Posts: Current /Recent · Videos/Toons/Songs: Latest · Embed-Codes · Text Index · Images Index · Archives: Old · New · About · Contact · Syndication · Affiliates ·

News Sources/Papers/Magazines Pundits Blogs ThinkTanks What is "property"? Pantheopians Global Climate Asteroids/Comets Hitting Earth--Risks/Predictions Science GlobalWeb

Political Satire /Commentary* Daily Updates .™©·2003 ..··
*Where the satire is always commentary but the commentary isn't always satire.
Special Commentary: To Citizen Soldiers a Song to Explain How Proudly We Thank You for Deeds in Our Name.
·Change font/text size· · Alternate Format for March 11, 2004, Installment·· · Recent-Updates Index··

Archives of Daily Updates for March 11 through 20, 2004, time period (appearing in reverse chronological order)
·

··

Mar. 20, 2004: Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040320-01.)
(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

Protestors against war in Iraq emulate nuclear-freeze protestors in 1980's claiming Reagan's hard-line stance would increase, rather than reduce, nuclear arms.·

Some groups, and their emulators, never learn. In the 1980's millions marched throughout Europe to protest Reagan's stance on nuclear-arms negotiations. They claimed the path to reduction of nuclear arms was for America to appease the Soviet Union by showing good faith by unilaterally reducing nuclear weapons to encourage the Soviet Union to do likewise. They equated Reagan with Hitler. They mocked his intelligence. The claimed he was too stupid to be President. They called him a war-monger. They even called him a bad actor. They were apoplectic that he had called the Soviet Union and "evil empire." The laughed derisively when he stood at the Brandenburg Gate and demanded, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." They howled with ridicule when he said Communism was destined for the "dust bin of history."

Millions of the members of the same crowd, and their Twenty-First Century progeny, are now marching throughout Europe. They equate George W. Bush with Hitler. They mock his intelligence. They clam he's too stupid to be President. They claim his policies will increase, rather than decrease, terrorism. They favor what is essentially law-enforcement/tic-tac-toe tactics against terrorism rather than a strategy of warfare under which America maintains an offensive against the terrorists rather than merely responding to terrorist attacks after the fact with law-enforcement measures. They call him a war-monger. They laugh derisively at his eloquent speeches explaining that the war in which we are now engaged (declared by the other side) is one between civilization and medieval barbarism.

What is the significance of these worldwide protests this weekend on the one-year anniversary of the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom? It's excellent evidence that Bush is doing the right thing. Rather than being distressed about such protests, Bush (and Americans) should take heart that our policies are so despised by such a collection of such a collection of short-sighted, myopic ideologues.

To Dubya: Take Heart.·

It's often you know we are right
when people with wisdom delight
at choices you make
in pathways you take
towards that you believe to be right.

But equally often you know
you're right from by whom you're opposed.
Advice I impart
to Dubya, "Take heart,
be glad by the Left you're opposed."

The millions who march in the street
to call you a "Hitler" to be,
in history's bin
their hystery ends
when more generations are free.

Five or ten years from now, when the march of history has demonstrated the wisdom of the vision articulated by Bush (and Tony Blair), the same crowd will be in the streets protesting against sensible solutions to whatever is their cause de jour at that time. They won't even be impressed that Bush and Blair would have become revered figures in Iraq and much of the Middle East, grateful for having been nudged into modernity by the foresight of those two leaders.

--Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com.

···
Copyright, November, 2003, by James R. Wrenn, Jr., Editor at PoliSat.Com. Note to visitors: I'm in the process of arranging for recording and production of this song, which I authored to honor those who serve us in the military. --Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com.·

...

··

Mar. 19, 2004 (see note): Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040319-01.)
(Editor's Note: This Mar. 19, 2004, installment was not posted until Mar. 20, 2004, due to scheduling glitch.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

To American & Coalition Troops on One-Year Anniversary of Commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom: Thanks in Our Name for Deeds in Our Name.·

The fact that March 19, 2004, marks the one-year anniversary of the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom makes it suitable to reprise the November 27, 2003, installment for Thanksgiving. For a permanent link to information about this song, go to Deeds In Our Name.· Given the fact that daily news about the war on terror on all fronts (Afghanistan, Iraq, Spain, etc.) give all of us emotional ups and downs, one can never be guilty of too often expressing appreciation to those who must endure such ups and downs while serving on the "front lines" on our behalf regardless of whether one agrees, or disagrees, with various aspects of Bush's strategy for the war on terror.

To Citizen Soldiers a Song to Explain
How Proudly We Thank You for Deeds in Our Name...·
(Scroll down below image for text-only version)

From farms in the country, from cities and towns,
from places quite humble, from places renowned,
from fact'ries, from stores and from offices tall,
from service professions, from stores in our malls,
come citizen soldiers their country to serve
as full time professionals or guard or reserve.

From mothers and fathers and husbands and wives,
from children and lovers and friends in their lives,
our citizen soldiers depart despite tears
on missions of danger in spite of their fears
as selflessly, proudly, and bravely they serve
that freedom of conscience and Faith be preserved.

In caves and in tunnels where murderers train
unspeakable terror they face in our name.
With principled discipline, training and skill
in taming the instinct to kill or be killed
our citizen soldiers have honored our name,
so, proudly we thank them for deeds in our name.

They serve in the skies, and at sea and on land,
in mountains and jungles and deserts of sand,
on foot and in foxholes, in trenches and tents,
in tanks and on submarine mission descents,
in planes and on ships and on carrier decks,
in Humvees, and hangars and convoys on treks.

For risks to themselves in their battles with terrors
increased by attempts to use force without error,
for risks to themselves they increase by providing
assistance to those who for freedom are striving,
our citizen soldiers have honored our name,
so thank them we must for their deeds in our name.

So we and posterity freedom retain
barbaric regimes you confront in our name.
To you who defend us, we proudly proclaim
our pride in the deeds you have done in our name.
We thank you, we thank you for deeds in our name,
We thank you, we thank you for deeds in our name.·
···
Copyright, November, 2003, by James R. Wrenn, Jr., Editor at PoliSat.Com. Note to visitors: I'm in the process of arranging for recording and production of this song, which I authored to honor those who serve us in the military. --Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com.·

...

··

Mar. 18, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040318-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

Today, Earth gets a cosmic shave from an asteroid bigger than twelve Greyhound Buses.·

Today, an asteroid (named "2004FH") discovered only several days ago, with a diameter equal to one-third the length of a football field, passed Earth within 26,000 miles (i.e., a distance equal to one flight around the world). Many people have frequent-flier mileage for longer trips. It's one-third the size of what scientists believe to have been the size of the object that exploded over the Tunguska region of the Siberian wilderness in 1908 causing widespread devastation flattening uninhabited forest "for hundreds of miles in every direction." Estimates of the force of the Tunguska explosion range from at least 60 times greater than the Atomic Bomb dropped on Hiroshima to as much as ten megatons. (The "twelve Greyhound buses" is my way of approximating the volume of a 100-foot diameter rock-- i.e., three buses side-by-side with three more side-by-side behind them with another bus on top of each of those six buses, making a total of twelve.)

As recently as 2001, statistical analysis indicated a probability of a Tunguska-size impact (i.e., a force somewhere between 60 Hiroshima bombs and ten megatons) every 100 years. Later, in 2002, further statistical analysis of "eight years of data reveal[ing] 300 in-air explosions of space rocks ranging in size from large televisions to studio apartments" led to a downward revision of the statistical incidence of Tunguska-size impacts from once every hundred years to once every thousand years, but also found one-hundred years to be the likely interval between impacts one-tenth that size (i.e. as large as one megaton or, if one were to use the lower estimate for Tunguska, as "small" as merely six times the force of the Hiroshima bomb).

Although today's "close call" is the closest ever documented for an object 100 feet in diameter or larger (i.e., approximately one-third the estimated size of the Tunguska object), in recent years there have been several other "close" (though "less" close) calls. For examples:

A. On August 17/18, 2002, Asteroid 2002 NY40 (nearly a half-mile wide) as it missed Earth by a mere 326,000 miles. It's nearly half-mile wide size (0.43 miles) made it observable with binoculars. To view a video showing time-lapse passage of Asteroid 2002NY40 on August 17/18, 2002, go here.

B. In June, 2002, "An asteroid about the size of a football field made one of the closest known approaches to Earth [on] Friday, June 14, [2002] zooming by just 75,000 miles (119,229 kilometers) away, less than a third of the distance to the Moon. The object was not detected until June 17, by astronomers working on the LINEAR search program, near Socorro, New Mexico. The space rock, now named 2002 MN, was traveling at more than 23,000 mph (10 km/s) when it passed Earth." [Source];

C. "[On January 7, 2002]... an asteroid the size of three football fields (300 meters wide) passed relatively close to Earth, just twice the distance to the Moon. The rock, named 2001 YB5, was first seen in December -- nowhere near enough time to mount a space mission to deflect it.... Had it been on a collision course, there is little that could have been done to prevent possibly millions of casualties when an area the size of Tasmania would have been devastated.... Tasmania is about the size of Ohio." [Source][Source]

D. "A similar asteroid flyby occurred [in] October, [2001] when a rock thought to be between 50 and 100 meters in diameter zoomed by Earth at a similar distance. The object, big enough to destroy a city, was first detected just two days prior." [Source]

E. "[December 9, 1994, was] previously [i.e., before today, March 18, 2004] the closest approach recorded..., when an asteroid came within 64,200 miles of Earth." [Source];

F. "In 1972, a 1000-ton object skimmed tangentially through Earth's atmosphere over the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, and then skipped back out into space, like a stone skipping off water. It was photographed by tourists and detected by Air Force satellites. Had it continued on into the atmosphere, it could have caused a Hiroshima-scale explosion over Canada, somewhat smaller than the Siberian blast." [Source]

Toward the support of what public policy should this information propel us? First, we should radically expand funding for telescopic searches to identify asteroids and/or comets in orbits crossing Earth's orbit in order to identify risks of collisions as far in advance as possible, and second, we should radically expand the anti-missile research to also embrace capabilities to destroy, or alter the orbital paths of, such objects to prevent collision with Earth; Third, we should accord these two projects the same degree of urgency as we accorded the Manhattan Project.

The Cosmic Shave of 2004 may preview what's coming in T-Minus-Four.·

Since Twenty-0-Four-and-F-H.* *[2004FH]
the asteroid passing today,
has mass that would yield
a megaton yield,
we're lucky 'twill be a close shave.

Since T-Minus-7-and-Counting
statistical risks have been mounting,
although there has been
a factor of ten
reduction in magnitude counting.

In Two-Thousand-One my recital,
which "T-Minus-7" I titled,
the energy sum
was ten megatons
for strikes in a hundred-year-cycle.

Though stats in the latest recitals
increased to a thousand-year-cycle
when asteroids come
with ten megatons,
they don't negate hundred-year cycles.

Such changes in stats make it plain
that megaton dangers remain
'cause energy sums
of one megaton
in hundred-year cycles remain.

Since now, it's Two-Thousand-and-Four
the countdown is T-Minus-4
'til danger is grave
that 'stead of a shave,
we're hit with a megaton force.

If that which today gives a "shave"
instead would smack Earth in the face,
our rockets today
could not knock away
the asteroid headed our way.

Since when, 'stead of whether, it happens
that somewhere on Earth will be flattened
is all that's in doubt,
the voters should shout:
A project we need like "Manhattan."

Needless to say, expending resources to prevent such cataclysmic disaster would be far wiser than wasting billions on such tenuous theories of "global warming" and "ozone depletion" as man-made phenomena. --Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com.

¹·Calculations for comparison with the Hiroshima bomb:
"To get the mass, we have to figure out the mass of a 30-meter wide rock. Rock has a density of about 3000 kg per cubic meter, so we need to calculate the volume of the rock and multiply times this density. Thus we have, m = (4/3) PI R3 (3000 kg/m3) = (4/3) PI (15 m)3 (3000) = 4.2 x 107 kg. Thus the total energy is, E=1/2 (4.2 x 107 kg) (1.5 x 104 m/s)2 = 4.8 x 1015 joules. To be safe, let's imagine that half the kinetic energy is lost to noise, slowing, and fragmentation of the meteoroid before it explodes. That still leaves about 2 x 1015 joules for the Tunguska explosion, compared to about 3 x 1013 joules for the Hiroshima A-bomb. Thus, our estimate is that the Tunguska had an explosive energy roughly on order of 60 A-bombs, or 500 KT of TNT. It was closer in effect to a very large H-bomb." Source for this information: http://www.psi.edu/projects/siberia/siberia.html.

...

··

Mar. 17, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040317-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

Dean's logic in blaming Bush for terrorists' March 11 attack on Spain would blame the U.N. and all countries supporting 1991 Gulf War for the 9-11 attack on America.·

Howard Dean, speaking in a conference arranged by John Kerry's campaign, said George Bush deserves blame for the March 11 terrorist bombing in Madrid, Spain, that killed 201 Spaniards and severely injured more than 1,500. Dean's "logic" in doing so would blame the United States, the United Nations, and every country and political leader who supported the 1991 Persian Gulf War for the 9-11 attack on us because successful conduct of that War required deployment of American military forces and bases inside Saudi Arabia and elsewhere in the Middle East, which is the main reason stated by Usama Bin Laden for launching the 9-11 attack on America. Dean's logic is patently that of an appeaser, but his own logic today about Spain would also cast moral "blame" on himself for 9-11 since he ardently says he unequivocally supported the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Thus, Dean's ascribing a degree of moral "blame" to Bush for terrorists' slaughter of 201 Spaniards on March 11 is either hopelessly naive or politically and morally malicious. Clue: It's the latter.

John Kerry, claiming to be ascending to the moral high ground of political campaigning and disdaining "malicious" political ads, declined to repudiate Dean's assertion. (Fox News reported that Kerry merely said Dean's position "is not our position"-- how courageous.) Likewise, Kerry has consistently refused to repudiate Ted Kennedy's claim that Bush launched Operation Iraqi Freedom for base political purposes and to enable his financial supporters to make profits as a result of such war. So much for Kerry's transparently hypocritical claim of seeking the moral "high ground" in his campaign. I can find little sincerity in anything Kerry says other than his sincerity in desiring to defeat George Bush.

Dean's logic in casting moral "blame" on Bush, and Kerry's refusal to repudiate such malicious nonsense, is a patent manifestation of one of the most enduring and persistent flaws in Left Wing Liberalism-- i.e., it never seems content to blame perpetrators of evil deeds without trying to find a way to also cast blame for such deeds on their political opponents. Enough, already!

Perhaps the rankest of all hypocrisy is that exemplified by Ted Kennedy's morally offensive claims ascribing base, immoral-- indeed criminal-- motives to Bush in launching Operation Iraqi Freedom. Kennedy never even had the courage to concede his real criminality manifested in his drunk-driving manslaughter of Mary Jo Kopeckne. Had the same standards been applied to him as were recently applied to Republican Congressman Janklow, who is now in jail for criminal manslaughter of a motorcycle rider as a result of Janklow's gross negligence in driving, Kennedy would have (and should have) gone to jail, after which it is unlikely he would have ever recovered politically (but who knows, maybe the Peoples' Republic of Massachusetts would have nevertheless insisted on returning him to "public service" and lionized him as a great political leader). It's just hard to take Kennedy's pompous moral posturing unjustifiably impugning the moral character of opponents to serve the patently transparent political motivations by one who has made a career of exhibiting moral irresponsibility and getting away with it.

When Kennedy accuses Bush of starting a war to serve the financial interests of his friends, and when Dean suggests Bush deserves "blame" for the murders of Spaniards by terrorists, Kerry doesn't see fit to condemn such offensive accusations. Yet, when anyone bothers to publicly condemn such offensive accusations, Kerry unfairly and groundlessly attributes such responses to the "Bush attack machine." I admire, and appreciate, Kerry's heroism in Vietnam, where, I assume, he did not "fire back" blindly and indiscriminately in the same indiscriminate manner in which he "fires back" politically and then assumes the posture of "victim."

I tire of those who scream the loudest about "negative" political campaigning almost immediately after launching morally offensive and baseless charges ascribing to their opponents the basest, most morally corrupt motives one could imagine. When Kerry appeared to accept some personal blame for the tone of the campaign in saying "George Bush and I can do better" (emphasis added by me), I gave him credit for doing so. He can't have it both ways. If he wants to claim the moral high ground, he can't stay in the gutter with Dean and Kennedy.

The Doctor of Blame by Logic Untamed.·

I'm Howard, the Doctor of Blame,
whose specialty, Casting of Blame,
equips me to name
the leaders to blame
when countries get side-effect pains.

The blame for the Spaniards who died
from bombs March Eleventh should lie
on Dubya in part
for war he did start
without Jacques Chirac on our side.

But please don't compare March Eleventh
with blame for September Eleventh.
I'd rather ignore
that 91's war
is why Qaeda launched Nine-Eleven.

If so, as the Doctor of Blame,
my logic would force me to blame
U.N. resolutions
for warfare solutions
removing Saddam from Kuwait.

So therefore, I'd rather ignore
that thousands of deaths on our shores
were caused by Usama
intending such trauma
as starting to even the score.

So please don't demand I explain
the reasons my failure to blame
the U.N. et al
for Nine-One-One's palls
don't bar blaming Dubya for Spain.

Anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows that Usama bin Laden has expressly described al Qaeda's primary motivation for the Nine-Eleven attack was as revenge for our having deployed our military and bases in Saudia Arabia and the middle east to remove Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. To "blame" the 9-11 attack on the U.S., the U.N., and the huge coalition that approved and/or authorized and/or participated in the 1991 Persian Gulf War rather than solely on the fanatics who committed the attack would be as specious as Howard Dean's statement that Bush deserves part of the "blame" for the March 11 attack in Madrid.

Here's my question to Kerry (and Dean): If not having explicit U.N. approval for Operation Iraqi Freedom is the "cause" of the slaughter of innocent Spaniards by fanatical Islamic terrorists, then why didn't the U.N.'s explicit approval of, and the virtual world-wide support for, the 1991 Persian Gulf War "protect" us from 9-11? The answer, Mr. Kerry and Dr. Dean, since neither of you seems to have figured it out, is that in both instances, no one other than fanatical, murdering terrorists is to "blame" for their barbaric acts. Anyone not a devotee of Left Wing Liberalism already understands that.

--Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com

··

...

··

Mar. 16, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040316-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

John Kerry claims support of world leaders favoring European anti-terror tactics aka Franco-European Law-Enforcement Tic-Tac-Toe Engagement of Tic-Tac-Terror/Tick-Tock-Terror.·

John Kerry claims ardent support among "world leaders," while coyly claiming a need to maintain "confidentiality" of the transparently obvious identity of such leaders-- e.g., the French and leaders who embrace the Franco-European model for fighting terrorism. With the exception of support for overt military action in Afghanistan, the Franco-European model favors law-enforcement over overt military action. In modern jargon, it's the equivalent of Law-Enforcement Tic-Tac-Toe Engagement of Tic-Tac-Terror/Tick-Tock-Terror, for which the acronym is "FELETTTETTT/TTT." The unwieldy length of the acronym, coupled with the nature of the tactics it represents, has led to its being abbreviated as "FELET," for which the pronunciation is the same as the French/Anglo pronunciation of "filet" (which is how the asymmetrical-warfare terrorists view leaders or countries embracing such model for combating terrorism).

Now-former Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar understood, as did (and hopefully still does) Tony Blair, that civilization cannot successfully defeat the medieval barbarism of fanatic Islamic terrorism by tic-tac-toe tactics rather than strategic chess (aka "strategery chess"). Aznar's successor, the socialist José Zapatero, and apparently the Spanish people, favor the FELET position relative to terrorism, to which we had adhered from 1992 through September 10, 2001 to our great sorrow on September 11, 2001.

When I say "we" I include myself-- not just merely the Clinton administration and the first nine months¹ of the Bush administration. Many opponents of Operation Iraqi Freedom don't understand why its supporters view September 11, 2001 as a paradigm-changing event without such change of view having been predicated upon any assumption that Saddam Hussein's henchmen or surrogates were directly or indirectly involved in the plot for the 9-11 attack. For those of us supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 9-11 attack opened our eyes to the patent deficiency of the FELET position relative to terrorism. Even though we have thus far failed to find evidence of "stockpiles" of chemical and biological weapons or an actively-resumed nuclear program in Iraq:

(a) what we have found according to David Kay, (whom foes of the war love to quote about our not finding "stockpiles") shows that if we were to have allowed inspections to continue, after which the U.N. would have ceased "support" for sanctions, Hussein's regime could have, and would have, resumed WMD production at the earliest opportunity, which makes it clear that by toppling his regime, we acted "too soon" rather than "too late", and given the inability of our intelligence-gathering to know precisely when a threat might become "imminent," the former is better than the latter;

(b) by toppling Hussein's regime, we have virtually guaranteed that Iraq will not become able to pose an "imminent" WMD threat to us or our allies in the region;

(c) by demonstrating our willingness to apply massive military force to rogue states supporting terrorists and working to develop WMD, we provided critical mass to Khadafi's decision² to conclude many-months-long "negotiations" with British/American intelligence services with his agreement to abandon his WMD programs, reveal their scope, and submit to their destruction and reliable verification of their non-resumption thereafter, and, as a result of Khadafi's capitulation, we have learned his program was much closer to the capacity to produce a nuclear weapon than our best intelligence sources indicated.

Notwithstanding claims by Khadafi's son and French op/ed opinion to the contrary, if (in our response to the 9-11 attack) we were to have geographically limited our overt military action to Afghanistan and the Afghanistan/Pakistan/Iranian borders, it's doubtful that "negotiations" with Khadafi would have reached the critical mass inducing him to admit and abandon his WMD programs and allow verification of such abandonment. Indeed, given what we now know, if we were to have allowed Saddam Hussein to remain in power and thereby perpetuated the perception that a tyrant with a past history of using WMD and an undisputed desire to reconstitute such programs could-- at the very least-- stall any U.N. efforts to stop such programs for at least a dozen years, then Khadafi would have had a strong incentive to become a back-channel hero to radical Islamic states and fanatical Islamic terrorists by accelerating his WMD program in order to covertly furnish WMD to Islamic terrorists for use against the West in general and the United States in particular. Devotees of the FELET position relative to terrorism may be willing to bet our security on their faith that Khadafi would have nevertheless abandoned his WMD programs solely in response to "sanctions" and "diplomatic pressure," but I'm glad Bush declined to take such leap of faith in the willingness, or capability, of a lunatic such as Khadafi to eschew opportunities to become a back-channel hero to fanatical Islamic terrorists.·

FELET as Filet-- Franco-European Law-Enforcement Tic-Tac-Toe Engagement of Tic-Tac-Terror/Tick-Tock-Terror.·

Though Kerry's been eager to say
world leaders in confidence say
they hope he'll replace
the barbecue plates
of Bush with their Euro-filets.

But penchants of Kerry displayed,
like flip-flops of fish 'til filleted,
admit but deny
the menu he'd try
would tout Franco-Euro FELET.

To readers most likely to say
"filet" I misspelled as "FELET,"
the acronym's for
description of war
on terror the French-Euro way.

You ask what the acronym means.
I coined it from principles gleaned
from Euro deportment
that views law enforcement
as best to fight terrorists' dreams.

"FE" are the letters I chose
for rules Franco-Euros propose
for Laws for Engagement
of Terror's enragement,
but "T" also means "Tic-Tac-Toe."

Such Tic-Tac-Toe tactics are errors
as ways to engage Tic-Tac-Terror.
Enforce-the-law tactics
are linear tactics
that can't stop the sound, "Tick-Tock-Terror."

And those who would choose to display
their place in the school of "FELET"
are asking to learn
that terror discerns
such schools as the best for filets.

In warfare, a tie ain't success,
so linear tactics ain't best.
Success requires more
than ev'ning the score--
not tic-tac-toe tactics, but chess.

That terrorists consistently sought to intensify attacks against us in the wake of Somalia (as an echo of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon) persuaded me that we were right to abandon our pre-Nine-Eleven position in the school of FELET upon finally realizing that the sharks of terror are looking for such schools filet.

¹·I find unpersuasive the naivety of former Secretary of the Treasury Paul O'Neill in construing Bush's front-burner consideration of contingency plans early in 2001 for a variety of ways to implement the U.S. policy adopted in 1998 to take steps to support "regime change" in Iraq as though such front-burner consideration of contingency plans for implementing such policy were evidence of a decision at that time for launching an overt, full-scale war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Presumably, O'Neill's experience at Alcoa did not familiarize him with the nature of, and need for, contingency plans for instruments of foreign policy encompassing the complexities of military, diplomatic and economic tools and options for such purposes.

²·I find unpersuasive claims by Khadafi's son and French op/ed opinion that Khadafi would have capitulated on his WMD even if Bush were to have deferred to the U.N. by refraining from launching Operation Iraqi Freedom-- especially since the result of such deference would have been to prove a rogue-state tyrant bent on developing WMD's could count on being able to jerk the U.N. around for at lest twelve years without being subjected to military force.

··

...

··

Mar. 15, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040315-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

No Update today-- Murphy's Law.·

...

··

Mar. 14, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040314-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

John Kerry apologizes for himself and for George Bush by saying "President Bush and I can do better" in debating differences in policies and visions.·

John Kerry refuses to overtly or explicitly apologize for his harsh comments into a still-open (microphone following a campaign event) and still refuses to admit he intended such comments to be construed by those to whom he was speaking as an assertion that Kerry considered President Bush and stop officials in his administration and in his campaign to be "the most crooked, lying group [he'd] ever seen." Given the outrage in 2000 over Bush's open-microphone characterization of a particular New York Times reporter as an "a_s_ole" (to which Cheney replied "Yeah, major league"), if an open microphone were to have picked up Bush making a statement susceptible to interpretation as characterizing his Democratic opponents as "the most crooked, lying group [he'd] ever seen," the dominant media would be apoplectic in pursuit of an apology from Bush rather than merely politely asking whether an apology might be forthcoming as they have done in response to Kerry's refusal to apologize.

Today, Kerry tacitly apologized for himself (and, presumptuously, for Bush) by saying "Both President Bush and I can do better"¹ by avoiding name-calling and by civilly engaging in once-a-month debates over their competing visions for America. Bush should accept his apology and his challenge. Such a debate would overshadow the power of the distorting effects of slanderous advertisements by supporters on the extreme outsides of both campaigns. For Bush and Kerry to engage in such series of would be similar to what John F. Kennedy and Barry Goldwater had, by gentlemen's agreement, agreed to do when, before Kennedy's assassination, both of them expected to be their respective parties' candidates in the 1964 election. (See my January 19, 2004, commentary making this point.) By all accounts, both those men liked and respected each other despite their strenuous political differences on a number of issues.

Bush's initial "retort" to Kerry's initial comments proposing once-a-month debates between now and the election legitimately cited Kerry's "crooks and liars" statement to question Kerry's sincerity and made spin points by suggesting Kerry should first finish the debate with himself and by reminding everyone that Kerry had rejected a comparable proposal by John Edwards. Since Kerry thereafter elevated the tone and humility of his proposal by leavening it with a tacit apology, Bush should accept the proposal. It's the best way to enable voters to see the stark differences between their two competing visions without either vision being obscured or distorted by propagandists on both extremes. It would set a valuable precedent for future Presidential campaigns. I hope Bush says "yes," and I give credit to Kerry for the sensibleness of the proposal and the willingness to at least tacitly apologize.

Kerry says "We're Sorry."·

Though some say my words were too dire
describing as "crooks" and as "liars"
Republican quarry,
I can't say "I'm sorry,"
so how do I exit this mire?

Says Kerry, "I mustn't say 'sorry'
for statements both wrongful and sorry,
however I can
stand up like a man
to say 'Bush and I' should be sorry."

So how should the Dubya respond
to halfway "I'm sorry" from John?
Say "okay" at once
to John's once-a-month
debates with the words, "Bring him on." ·

¹·When I listened to the tone of Kerry's voice in today's news-clip of Kerry reiterating his challenge to Bush for civil, once-a-month debates on their "competing visions for America, " and asserting "Both President Bush and I can do better," I construed it as a simultaneous accusation against both himself and Bush and a simultaneous tacit apology for himself and (though presumptuously) also for Bush. Therefore, I've added bold/italics emphasis to the quotation to emphasize how I interpreted the tone of Kerry's voice.

...
For the Daily Update immediately preceding the one above, click here.

··

Mar. 13, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040313-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

No update for Saturday, March 13, 2004.

...

··

Mar. 12, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040312-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

Today, we are all Spaniards with heartfelt grief for Spain for March 11, 2004.·
Hoy, estamos todos Español con pesar de corazónes nuestras por España por Once de Marzo, 2004.·

Yesterday's barbaric slaughter of hundreds and maiming of more than a thousand Spaniards makes all civilized people feel heartfelt grief for the Spaniards and boundless outrage at the barbarity of the attack. Whether the terrorist group in Spain selected the Eleventh of March to symbolically match America's Eleventh of September remains to be determined, but regardless of the answer, all civilized countries must act and speak with one voice against such atrocities and maximize efforts to hunt-down the perpetrators and penalize their supporters.

We, as Americans, owe the same unflinching, morally clear and courageous support to Spain and to President Jose Aznar in particular, as Spain and Aznar have been providing us in our war against fanaticism. In the face of such slaughter, it almost seems trite to make such statement. What civilized person would not say the same thing? What's important, however, is the need to recognize our moral obligation to continue saying the same thing long after the shock and grief dissipate.

That is so for the same reasons for which we must continually remind ourselves about 9-11 rather than lapsing into the false sense of security we derived before 9-11 from treating matters such as the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, the Embassy bombings in Africa, etc. as though they manifested "law enforcement" problems rather than a threat requiring a worldwide counter-terrorism military offensive against such fanaticism and governments that overtly support it or are helpless to resist it. That is not to cast moral blame on those (we, including myself) who before 9-11 viewed such fanaticism as "law enforcement" problems, but that is a basis for disparaging the judgment of anyone who after 9-11 still clings to such "law enforcement" theory (or comparable "international law enforcement" theories that we must stay our military hand unless and until we first establish virtual international unanimity for whatever action we deem necessary to protect our interests).

España Vivir Para Siempre Long Live Spain.·

Thus far, it seems the people of Madrid (and Spain) are exhibiting the same moral stoutness as New Yorkers, Washingtonians, and Northern Virginians displayed in the wake of 9-11. The question remaining, of course, to which I hope the answer is "yes," is whether the next large scale attack inside America will elicit the same moral stoutness or instead weaken our will. My hope (like everyone else's hope) is that we never need to answer that question. However, it seems unlikely that at any time in the near future we will have the luxury of not needing to be prepared to answer it.

--Jim Wrenn, Editor@PoliSat.Com

A visitantes a www.PoliSat.Com, yo dicho apologia sinceramente mi que Espanol mi no esta beuno, pero espero que ustedes comprende sympatico yo intento que decir.

...

··

Mar. 11, 2004 : Poli Sat.Com's Political Satire/ Commentary* Daily Update # 01·· ™©·2004·(Home)·
*Where the satire is always commentary, but the commentary isn't always satire (but you'll know the difference)·
(Permanent, direct link to this Daily Update: http://polisat.com/du2004/du0403-11--20.htm#20040311-01.)

(Google News index of recent Political Satire/Commentaries by PoliSat.Com: Click this link.)
(Keep abreast of PoliSat.Com's Daily Political Satire/Commentary via Google's News Alert.)·

Toyota's introduction of humanoid robot able to walk and play trumpet prompts inquiry by famous politician.·

Today Toyota became the second Japanese automaker to introduce a humanoid robot with remarkable skills. Not only can the robot walk, wave its arms and bow, but the yet-to-be-named "Toyota Partner Robot" (depicted here and illustrated here) is also equipped with artificial lungs, lips and fingers enabling it to play the trumpet. It rivals two other Japanese-made humanoid robots. One is Sony's humanoid robot, named "Orio," that can run, which Sony unveiled last year. Another is Honda's humanoid robot, Asimo (introduced by Honda in 2002), which can walk, ascend and descend stairs, wave, answer simple questions and dance to music.

This high-tech triple by Japan has American manufacturers worried a growing technology gap. Japan is quickly becoming the world leader in long-range research and development of humanoid robots capable of performing human tasks. Toyota classifies this latest series as being prototypes to serve as "partners" to assist the elderly and perform menial chores. Both Honda and Toyota have long range plans for humanoid robots to perform tasks that are dangerous to humans. The Honda robot has a limited vocabulary and can recognize faces, but the one with "soul" is the just-introduced Toyota robot able to play the trumpet with artificial lungs, lips and fingers while "swaying" to the music in the style of Louis Armstrong.

A number of American politicians quickly sought to determine whether American robotics companies have equally impressive prototypes ready for unveiling. Rumors quickly spread that one was recently seen exhibiting the capacity to stand, wave its arms and display oratorical skills seeming almost human, but further investigation revealed such reports were based on observations of news-clips of Al Gore making his most recent, Elmer-Gantry-like speech accusing Bush of "betraying" the country.

Calls also flooded-in to Toyota from politicians expressing concern that such robots would create cheap-labor competition to human workers. To emphasize that not all contacts from politicians were so negative, Toyota proudly asserted it had received a favorable inquiry from a former political leader (whom Toyota declined to identify) known to be skilled as a musician and knowledgeable about the advantages and disadvantages of a wind instrument. However, PoliSat.Com has learned more about this report from its usual, highly unreliable sources:

Robotic Music & Harmonic Wind.·

Toyota's announced the existence
of humanoid robot assistants
so eager to please,
they're destined to be
Toyota's pies de resistance.

The "Partner" robotics include
a lung through which air they extrude,
whose fingers and lips,
while swaying their hips,
can blow through a trumpet a tune.

On learning the name had been censored
as who by the robot was mentored,
an order came in
from Bubba to send
a "Partner" to work as his intern.

Said Clinton, a saxophone player,
"To have such robot I'd savor,
although I would favor
a robot enabled
as multiple-instrument player."

"Such rumors," said Bill, "make me so hot,
and why people spread 'em, I know-not,
but yet I'm inclined
to say one more time
I didn't duet with that robot."

Although PoliSat.Com was unable to reach Clinton, a horde of reporters began hounding him about this story. Finally, out of apparent frustration, Clinton called a press conference before a group of MTV reporters, at which he solemnly announced, "Even though I'm great on the saxophone, I did not have harmony with that robot."

...
For the Daily Update immediately preceding the one above, click here.

Other sites that feature PoliSat.Com's Political Satire/Commentary-- Click here to view our Affiliates page.