Wednesday, July 31, 2002
[posted by jaed at 10:45 AM]That certain shudder of recognition
The Truth Laid Bear reports from July 28, 2014.
Tuesday, July 23, 2002
[posted by jaed at 12:11 PM]"It's all a conspiracy!"
The American Prospect offers an article debunking the theory that Bush attacked Afghanistan (and perhaps even orchestrated the 9/11 attacks) in order to clear the way for the famed Caspian Oil Pipeline. This theory never seemed to me to pass the giggle test - among other things, it smacks just a bit too much of desperation ("No Blood For Oil! Wait a minute - you say Afghanistan doesn't have any oil? Oh... well... um, there must be an oil connection in here somewhere, no matter how tenuous..."). But the background is interesting.
Afghanistan never made much sense as a transit point for energy, and today less than ever. In the mid-1990s, when the Unocal project arose, Turkmenistan was desperate to find new export markets for its gas. Russia, which had traditionally bought almost all Turkmen gas, was in a prolonged post-communist recession, and its purchases had plummeted from 88 billion cubic meters in 1992 to about 15 billion cubic meters in 1996. Furthermore, Moscow was refusing to allow Turkmenistan to use its vast pipeline network to send gas to non-Russian customers -- despite the fact that Pakistan and India faced gas shortages and were eager to buy from Turkmenistan. Hence there was at least a commercial logic to the Unocal proposal.
Today the situation has completely changed. In 2000 the Russian economy emerged from its deep slump, prompting the country to sign a special arrangement with Turkmenistan for gas imports. Since then, Turkmen exports to Russia have climbed steadily and now stand at around 31 billion cubic meters. As part of the deal the Russians have become more generous in allowing Turkmen exporters to utilize their pipeline system.
At the same time, the customers that Unocal had foreseen for Turkmen gas have disappeared. Turkey has lined up sufficient future supplies from Russia and Azerbaijan, while Pakistan has discovered domestic supplies and no longer needs to import gas. That leaves only India, which has cheaper alternatives than buying Turkmen gas that's been shipped across three countries.
Saturday, July 20, 2002
[posted by jaed at 6:07 AM]Fool for a client
The transcript of the hearing in which Zacarias Moussaoui tried to plead guilty. Example of his legal knowledge:
It is defined by the Black Dictionary of Law as an equitable plea that affirmatively allege new matter that are outside the bill. A pure plea must track the allegation of the bill, not evade it or mistake its purpose.
So by entering this pure plea, I will first have to track the indictment. Then -- or before, make specific statement regarding my involvement, my participation in a known terrorist group since 1995, but -- so I enter formally today a pure plea and affirmatively plead.
Sigh.
Friday, July 12, 2002
[posted by jaed at 9:29 PM]Jonah Goldberg is crabby today
"Before Sept. 11, it was just an opinion, 'I think we should hate the others,' " Batarfi says. "After Sept. 11, we found out ourselves that some of those thoughts brought actions that hurt us, that put all Muslims on trial."
I see. It's not the hating, per se, which is the problem. It's that darned blowback the hating creates. If we could just hate "the others" (Read: Christians, Jews, Hindus, and everybody else who isn't a Muslim) without creating so many hassles for Muslims well, then, everything would be fine.
Thursday, July 11, 2002
[posted by jaed at 10:51 AM]Not just a river in Egypt
The Israelis are feeling a little exasperated. Well, who can blame them? I'm feeling a little exasperated myself. An Egyptian national with a history of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish comments, who got pissed off because someone displayed an American flag after 9/11, goes to LAX, on the Fourth of July, heads straight for the El Al counter and starts shooting, but there's no reason, none at all, to suspect this might have been a terrorist attack? Is the FBI overrun with fools, or do they think Americans are all fools? I'm honestly not sure which possibility frightens me more.
(In the thankful-for-small-favors department, at least the FBI has conceded that the attacker, who went armed with two guns, a knife, and a shitload of ammunition, probably was planning violence. Thank God we have a Federal Bureau to Investigate these things for us.)
