Americas' new death squad director

We don't need a man famous for Death Squads in Guatemala, El Salvador, perhaps Chile, and elsewhere to be the national security director.

John Negroponte is not a good man. Not a good man for the job. Not someone I want coordinating our intelligence. Not someone I want to have watching over me. I mean, he was a poor ambassador to the UN, a poor choice to head the embassy in Iraq, but this is ... really bad news.

... To quote from wikipedia:

Records also show that a special intelligence unit (commonly referred to as a "death squad") of the Honduran armed forces, Battalion 3-16, trained by the CIA and Argentine military, kidnapped, tortured and killed hundreds of people, including US missionaries. Critics charge that Negroponte knew about these human rights violations and yet continued to collaborate with the Honduran military while lying to Congress.

Wow. Killing US Missionaries! He's the man I want to oversee the FBI and CIA! Forget about them pesky terror-ists. We got us dangerous missionaries to look out for! (Yes, I do understand the time lapse, but its an interesting corollary.

Hot off the "No Shit" press

Wow. Who knew. American intelligence agencies now suggest that the war in Iraq has been useful to terrorist organizations for recruitment.

Perhaps that would explain the dramatic rise in terrorist attacks, say, in Iraq for instance. I believe there were a grand total of 0 (zero) terrorist attacks in Iraq in the years, say 1991-2003, and then a dramatic rise to about 5 per day since the American-led liberation.

Do we actually spend our tax dollars to fund this intelligence? Proof positive we need to revamp our educational system.

PS

Today is the day.

I've been waiting for the other shoe to drop since he took office again. I have been feeling quite positively and warmly so far toward the second term. Positives:

• Social Security plan. Bush's plan is actually the best proposal yet. For more information, please visit my social security blog
• Condi Rice has done a great job of reuniting US with France, Germany, and Europe
• The Isreali/Palestinian Peace process is working quite well, thanks in no small part to new weapoons, vehicles, and training for the PA security forces, provided by the US.
• Tax reform is necessary! Make it so! No one else has the "political capital" to invest in this
  
• Tort/liability/malpractice reform is necessary.

But I have to say that finally, it has happened. He's starting to scare me anew.

1. Rhetoric against Syria - Scary. See my previous post
2. Renewed effort for constitutional ban on same-sex marriage - Stupid.
   
3. Calls for extending the Patriot Act - Scary.
4. List of Judges proposed for Federal Court postions is, ahem, frightening - Frightening
5. $82 billion more in emergency funds for Iraq

Anyhow, the list goes on. But it is soon going to again be time to fight. Thank god we have Howard now. Give 'em hell, Howard.

Wouldn't it be easier...?

So the head of state turns to the defense minister and says "wouldn't it be easier if Poland 'attacked us?' "

Right. We are going to rush to the aid of Lebanon. Against Syria.

THOSE IGNORANT OF HISTORY ARE DOOMED .... whatever.

Let's see. We are going to defend Lebanon against an insurgence from Syria.
We are fighting in Afghanastan.
We are going to arm Iraq for a war against Persia.

What year is it?

Hellloooooo Falkland Islands. I'm looking at you. Guatamala, what you doin? We have always been at war with Eurasia. Eastasia is our ally.