WWW.RIDESIDE.NET

Posted by Travis on 2005-02-01 13:59:13 +0000

this is good: al jazeera very few Sunni's actually voted....

Posted by Travis on 2005-02-01 14:08:35 +0000

and this: reuters

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-01 16:15:32 +0000

I went to my mom's for dinner last night, and I found the Boston Globe had an excellent piece on the vote. It's my understanding the Iraq vote Sunday was for a council of 275 leaders, 1/3 of which must be women. They will then elect a president and 2 vice presidents. In August the council will start hammering out a constitution, and by Dec. 1st they may vote to ratify it.

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-01 22:40:37 +0000

One goes up, another comes down. We're at some kinda replacement rate right now, the world can't take another democracy. "It's wafer thin!"

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-01 23:48:01 +0000

(not sarcastic - but an honest request for information) is that the media source that consistently pays attention to Osama BL's communications? _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-02 01:30:41 +0000

What media source doesn't?

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-02 04:52:22 +0000

I think the vote is all well and good (as long as the Kurds in the North or the Shias (?) in the South or the Sunnis in the center feel adequately represented and decide not to split); however, the burgeoning insurgency hasn't ended, nor has this first successful step erased all the mis-steps that occurred before. Al-Jazeera is the most popular satellite station in the Middle East. It purportedly reflects the sentiments of the Arab "street". Yes, they tend to get the manilla folders with OBL correspondence. However yellow their journalism, this perspective merits watching considering we're trying to win over the hearts & minds tuning in. Al-Jazeera is the FOX News of the Middle East. Yeah, I said it.

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-02 15:14:39 +0000

you know what I mean :) _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-02 17:38:22 +0000

Besides Bush, Cheney, and Rice?

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-02 19:11:08 +0000

you know what i mean... _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-04 20:30:22 +0000

Putting the Iran into Iraq Results skewed while tallies from the North and West are coming in. Big win for non-secular Iranian backed Shiites. Go figure.

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-07 19:25:17 +0000

[hand waving] Hey! The election! Hey! [pointing at Iraq] Yo! Hey! The election! [more handing waving] Just don't look here: 9 Billion Not only have we underspent on the reconstruction effort, but the money that did go to Iraqi hands, we can't say for certain what happened to it.

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-08 01:16:42 +0000

Dupe Posts rule BTW

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-08 01:22:35 +0000

Of course the UN didn't misuse/misplace any funds working in tandem w/ Saddaam in that fun 'Oil for Food' Thing. The WSJ may be right: We need a Kofi Break! _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-08 06:49:32 +0000

You wanna trade US malfeasance for UN malfeasance? I have _never_ stated that the UN did not misuse or misplace funds C'mon rladew! let's get honest: I'm more than happy to denounce the UN Oil for Food program as being a failed attempt to benefit the people of Iraq, and an extreme mis-use of funds (while also noting that the US was complicit in the smuggling of oil to Turkey/Jordan/Kuwait/our other "friendlies" in the areas). Kick Kofi Out! (If indeed he's implicated, but he hasn't been, yet). Are you willing to admit that the Iraqi invasion has also suffered from clossal mismanagement of the same (or greater) order?

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-08 18:21:03 +0000

rladew with more hand waving. No look over here!!! No, over here!!! Don't address problems!!! Two WSJ opinion pieces, rladew??? You really need to get out more. You've even admitted it is "hack journalism" before on rs.n.

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-08 21:08:08 +0000

UN Oil for Food programme is turning out to be a huge disgrace, we've known this for a long time (WSJ ref. is March 2004, this thing first read it's head last February?). Let's not accept incompetence. Period.

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-08 22:28:24 +0000

with all due respect Dawn, I feel strongly that you have quoted me out of context! It is most certainly 'hack journalism' if you dont explain exactly where you are getting a source (see the thread on FLORIDA I believe) so the WSJ, in that particular instance, did themselves a disservice not saying they got their info from the "Dissent" portion of the study done on FLorida election results and disenfranchisement. Are yhey globally bad journasilts because of this and Al Franken's say so when he bashes the publisher? I would have to give an emphatic no. TGL raises important points about US $$$ being accountable in IRAQ - my point is that both political spectrums should be held accountable. Rich Ladew is not involved in a conspiracy to distract the people of America to have them overlook the fact that their money is being wasted in Iraq, nor is Rich Ladew involved in the knee jerk media majority movement to tell people that Iraq involvement is a bad thing. Rich Ladew is making observations that people from all political sprectrums do stupid and unethical things with their money. (and it is a hell of a lot more fun to play devil's advocate and bring up all of the non-republican misfundings that seem to have their root in a so-called progressive culturally condescending elite) end of rant... _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-08 22:37:42 +0000

Absolutely willing to accept gross mismangement! I guess Mr. Bungle isn't just a band.... But is everything in the world GWB et. al's fault? you'd think so on most days if you were watching anything but Fox News... _______________________________ Jazz is not dead...it just smells funny. - F. Zappa

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 03:42:34 +0000

What context were you talking about when you agreed that the Journal Opinion's incorrect quotation of the CCR report (the thesis for the entire piece) is hack journalism? I thought that was fairly clear... The WSJ opinion pages are globally bad journalism because of their continued misleading stories and lying. If it were one or two cases I'd give it to you, but it isn't. Plus they do not run corrections. How fucked up is that??? What kind of news source doesn't run corrections on blatantly incorrect stories? I've mailed, called, and emailed them repeatedly about this, specifically the CCR Florida report. Really, REALLY fucked up, Dude. The "Enquirer" and "Star" don't even do that. The "World News" might not run corrections. (Yeah, I compared the Opinion Journal to the World News.) "Rich Ladew is not involved in a conspiracy to distract the people of America to have them overlook the fact that their money is being wasted in Iraq, nor is Rich Ladew involved in the knee jerk media majority movement to tell people that Iraq involvement is a bad thing." Then why did you distract from the topic and talk about the UN mismanagement? It's these random digs that destroy the dialogue. Classic GOP, rladew: Smear, smudge, cloud, dilute, confuse. "Knee jerk?" It's been 23 months...

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-09 04:14:42 +0000

You're right, not everything is Dubyas fault. Don't believe I laid this one at his feet. I'm blaming Bremer for that 9 Billion. ...which adds to my confusion as to why Bremer deserves a Medal of Freedom.

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 16:52:46 +0000

Bremer doesn't deserve one. Everyone knows this is purely window dressing. If you want something to look good, start handing out medals. "Good Job." But you must still blame GBW, as he and he alone sent forces to Iraq. There was no declaration of War by Congress, and if Bush didn't send US in, that $9 billion would be accounted for.

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-09 17:30:39 +0000

Yeah, this is where I get frustrated with the idea of accountability, free markets, competition, rewards consummate with merit, and so forth. Back to the business world: CEOs may indeed be worth the tens of millions of dollars they receive in compensation annually, however, CEOs don't ever seem to suffer any consequences when they do a bad job. Lay and Ebbers, where are they now? (Something about justice delayed is justice...) Jack Welch nearly killed GE, and he gets a huge retirement package. CEOs also seem to weasel out of responsibilty too, "such a big complicated company, how do you expect _me_ to watch over everyone". Sorry, you get $25Mil a year, you can afford to be well acquainted with your business and it's practices. So to get back to everything being Bush's fault: He's the President! Buck Stops Here and so forth. I blame Clinton for Somalia, Sudan, and the lack of response in Rwanda, what's wrong with blaming Bush for the litany of mistakes surrounding the occupation of Iraq? It _was_ his decision, right? I'd be less critical of these mistakes if it was evident that the administration had been duely diligent in the leadup to war and the planning for the reconstruction, it's glaringly obvious they haven't.

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-09 17:51:30 +0000

so im destryoing rideside dialogue? nice! _______________________________

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-09 17:56:48 +0000

Nah, looks like dialogue has actually picked up... dawnbixtler is a little over the top, however, if your response to gross negligence is "hey, everyone else does it", it's a little disheartening.

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 18:25:55 +0000

"Over the top" in what way, tgl?

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 18:30:23 +0000

Call me old fashioned, but I don't view destruction of dialogue as a good thing....

Posted by rladew on 2005-02-09 20:01:27 +0000

I'll leave it to you and TGL to carry on the constructive dialogue without me..... _______________________________

Posted by tgl on 2005-02-09 20:21:29 +0000

I didn't take rladew's post as trying to obfuscate or deny poor accounting practices in Iraq.

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 21:58:08 +0000

Nor did I claim he was trying to deny, but it does obfuscate, consciously or not...

Posted by frame609 on 2005-02-09 23:41:39 +0000

....kinda like using the word 'obfuscate.'

Posted by dawnbixtler on 2005-02-09 23:48:28 +0000

come on, rladew, you've been constructive before...