December 2003

There were 170 posts published in December 2003 (this is page 11 of 29).

Coming Clean with History

Kevin at Lean Left has a good post asking if Defense Secretary Rumsfeld should be considered an unindicted co-conspirator for Saddam’s use of banned weapons. Evidence suggests Rumsfeld was at least complicit in Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iran, and he may have indirectly provided assistance to the dictator.
Of course this won’t happen because the U.S. government runs the show. But wouldn’t it be funny if there was some sort of full disclosure law which require government officials to reveal their past dealings in televised appearances?
You know how financial analysts on T.V. are supposed to reveal if they have any interest in a company when they recommend its stock? It would be classic if every time Rumsfeld talked about how evil Saddam was, he had to disclose his Reagan-era dealings in Baghdad:

“Saddam’s evil regime, which this government supported in the mid-80’s, murdered thousands of innocent people.”

Just goes to show that today’s political expediency may not turn out so great tomorrow.

Progress in Washington

“Senate Deal Unlocks 50 Nominees“

The Bush administration made several key concessions that led to Senate confirmation of more than 50 stalled executive nominations before Congress adjourned last week.
Several sources said that as part of the complex negotiations, President Bush has agreed to nominate a pro-consumer member to a powerful energy board.
That move came at the urging of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).
In addition, the administration agreed to shield federal air traffic employees from outsourcing.

It’s something how much negotiating is needed to do what both sides should be doing anyway.

Wanted: Olympic Gold Medal

Sydney Olympic 49kg tae kwon do gold medalist Lauren Burns returned home to find many items, including her medal, stolen:

Burns yesterday made an emotional plea to the burglars to return her most treasured possession, which had been hidden in a sunglasses case.
“Please, have the courage to give it back to me,” she said. “Please, don’t throw it away. Find a way to return it. I don’t care about the other things. It’s priceless to me but it’s of no value to anyone else.”
The medal is engraved with details of Burns’ achievement and police believe this would make it almost impossible to sell.

A personal misfortune, no doubt. But I found the “don’t throw it away” line a bit amusing. Ironically, the fact the medal is personally engraved (affecting its street value) might make it less likely authorities will recover it–unless she has a good-hearted burglar.

Health Care Costs

Just heard an interesting fact illustrating the growth in health care costs: elderly Americans now spend a higher percentage of their income on health care than they did before Medicare was enacted.