Yes, tomorrow is the opening of the UN's 60th General Assembly in New York and there'll be lots of hot things to come from that (the non-definition of "terrorism" already abandoned as a topic, UN reform, speeches from Bush, Sharon, Musharraf, Ahmedinejad, and Putin, among other delectable UN wordplay) but the most anticipated sparks will be outside the UN at the
George Galloway vs. Christopher Hitchens debate tomorrow at 7p EST.
Hitchens has already shown himself (on the Daily Show, most recently, contrary to the opinion of Jon Stewart fans) to be a strong and eloquent advocate for pro-Iraq war rationale (albeit he has reservations about the execution, as does anyone with a TV or brain) and should be well positioned to make sweet, sweet love to the darling of the Left's
Galloway, an unabashed Bush basher and UK MP for his own breakway anti-war "Respect" party who'll hopefully rehash his
wonderful performance given in the Senate Investigations Subcommittee of May 17, 2005 (
video).
Some select quotes:
"Bush, and Blair, and the prime minister of Japan, and Berlusconi,
these people are criminals, and they are responsible for mass murder in
the world, for the war, and for the occupation, through their support
for Israel..." - Galloway, Al Jazeera, 06/20/2005
"Senator, in everything I
said about Iraq I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong
- and 100,000 have paid with their lives, 1,600 of them American
soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies ... Senator, this is the mother of all smokescreens. You are trying to divert attention from the crimes that you supported." - Galloway responding to Senator Norm Coleman, 05/17/2005
"[Christopher Hitchens is a] drink-sodden former Trotskyist popinjay and useful idiot" - Galloway upon spotting Hitchens, just before the 05/17 Senate hearing
"[That] was unfair." - Hitchens responding to the above Galloway comment.
I am one of those who believe, uncynically, that Osama bin Laden did us
all a service (and holy war a great disservice) by his mad decision to
assault the American homeland four years ago. Had he not made this
world-historical mistake, we would have been able to add a Talibanized
and nuclear-armed Pakistan to our list of the threats we failed to
recognize in time. - Christopher Hitchens, A War to be Proud Of, Weekly Standard, 09/12/2005
Tasty! I sincerely hope Hitchens can drop some knowledge on Galloway before the seasoned entertainer (er, "member of parliment") panders to what seems like will be a self-selected and stacked audience. Ah, it's just too much to ask to have logic interfere with showmanship!
New York is truly the center of the Hottness Based Community.
The Cybercast News Service is reporting that Al Qaeda's gearing up for the terrorist season starting around October - November, this year's Islamic month of Ramadan, as per a September 2nd report by noted terrorism expert Yossef Bodansky issued on GIS, a government-only information source. The report claims there're plans for a large attack or series of attacks on western countries - with Italy seemingly being mentioned most - that will dwarf 9/11 and draws together information from increased recent chatter, Zarqawi messengers, as well as interpretations of the August 8th video message from Ayman al-Zawhiri.
Bodansky's report states that "concrete preparations for the consolidation of Islamist-jihadist springboards against the heart and lair of the Great Satan are being completed -- for Western Europe in the Balkans, for Russian and Eastern Europe in Chechnya, and for the United States in the tri-border area in Latin America."
The report also mentions that hurricane Katrina is an encouragement terrorists and poses a strategic opportunity. Stratfor, on the other hand, believes that Al Qaeda's MO is to attack when ready, not around a specific event, and therefore thinks the Bodansky timing analysis is questionable.
I'm not sure where the "tri-border area" is with regards to the US, but I'm keeping an eye on this one. Hopefully the report itself will pop up in the next few days. There're a few other reports and think tank reports to read relating to this, and I'll post more.
Everone's favorite enemy combatant (no, not me) US-born, New York-native Jose Padilla* has today lost in a federal appeal in the 4th Circuit courts and is now, again, an enemy combatant, sitting in solitary. Further, Judge Luttig writing for the three-judge panel court (Luttig appointed by Bush, the other two by Clinton), said that Padilla's even more an enemy combatant than Saudi-born, Louisiana-native Yaser Hamdi.**
Padilla v. Hanft, 09/09/05 (pdf)
*
- on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 2000, was recruited to jihad by Al Qaeda
- trained and fought in Afghanistan in 2001, escaped to Pakistan
- met with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and accepted a mission to go back to the US and blow up buildings
- arrested May, 2002, suspected of a "dirty bomb" plot
- designated an "enemy combatant" June 2002 and held in solitary confinement in a naval brig in South Carolina
- won a federal ruling that in February 2005 that said he couldn't be held indefinately and that the government has to charge him with a crime or free him
**
- captured on the battlefield in 2001 in Afghanistan
- freed in October 2004 and sent to Saudi Arabia and gave up his US citizenship as conditions for his release
- transportation: downtown Portland is very confusing to drive around
- economic: there're a lot of offices and office buildings for rent which seems like a bad sign, yet there's a thriving protest market and a decent amount of hip restaurants, two things that typically point at a healthy economy
- isn't Portland the city with the ordinances to curb urban sprawl and wouldn't that point to less office vacancies?
- all gas stations are full service - I don't get this. I've been told it promotes tourism, but it seems an excess
- environmental: greener, lusher and prettier than Colorado
- 30 miles south, in Canby, there're farms, nurseries and orchards; like, real ones n stuff
- 30 miles east, around Cascade Locks, OR and Stevenson, WA, there're an abundance of trails, hikes, and general peaceful outdoorsy stuff
