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Tuesday, Mar 18, 2003

commons cause

live parliament debate about war in iraq

chem suits

"Which makes the parking lot of the Kuehne plant a uniquely scary place to stand. As the United States stands on the brink of war with Iraq, terrorism and Middle East experts warn us that al-Qaida is already using the prospective war as a rallying cause. Rohan Gunaratna, the author of "Inside al-Qaeda: Global Network of Terror," told Salon that a U.S. attack on Iraq, without United Nations support, could arouse terrorist "sleeper cells"; such an attack could seem like a war against Islam, and sleeper cells might rationalize, "'My God, we went and trained in Afghanistan, and now we must go and fight the infidels.'" And that's what contributes to making Kuehne a possible ground zero. Its lethal combination: proximity to a densely populated area and some of the deadliest chemicals around. A well-executed attack upon it could kill 12 million Americans."

Monday, Mar 17, 2003

paper chasers

"NEW YORK (AP) -- CNN has reached an agreement with The New York Times and The Boston Globe to make the newspapers' reporters available for stories on the impending war with Iraq.

The reporters will deliver their reports on-screen with the newspapers' logos visible."

pharm teem

"AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Just what the doctor ordered?

Pharmacies may fill prescriptions for marijuana and patients can get the cost covered by insurance, according to a law that went into effect Monday."

booty call

"But even if there's nothing exactly new about making money from war, this particular conflict, a preemptive war of choice, presents the somewhat novel prospect of the U.S. government deciding how war profits will be distributed even before the first sorties are launched. Whether you think Iraq will be "conquered" or "liberated" by American forces, regime change in the country will open up vast new opportunities for commercial interests to do business there, and the Bush administration could have wide latitude in determining which of those interests win out. Already, companies are jockeying for prime positions, and already there are signs that the White House is being nicest to its friends."

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