The Flashlight, August 18-25, 2006
THE FLASHLIGHT, August 18 – 25, 2006
Aftermath of Israeli – Lebanese Conflict
8-18 CNN. The Lebanese Army is now deployed in Southern Lebanon and the Hizbollah fighters have melted into the civilian population. Their arms are out of sight, but not out of reach. Despite the truce agreement, nobody is talking about disarming them.
8-18 PBS. An estimated $1.6 billion damage was done to Israel and $3.6 billion damage to Lebanon during the 34 days of fighting.
Hizbollah is handing out up to $12,000 per Lebanese family made homeless by the bombing. Although the money is in US currency, Iran is suspected of providing it.
8-23. The Guardian and 8-24, The New York Times. Amnesty International has joined Human Rights Watch in accusing Israel of war crimes. Israel flew 7,000 air strikes over Lebanon in 34 days. According to official Lebanese statistics, 1,183 Lebanese were killed, of which about one third were children; 4,054 were injured, and 970,000 displaced; 30,000 homes, 120 bridges, 94 roads, 25 fuel stations, and 900 businesses were destroyed. Amnesty International takes the position that this destruction was deliberate, and not collateral damage. Lebanon, a nation with a population of about four million, will takes many years to recover.
8-24. France, after dragging its feet, agreed to send 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers in Lebanon. Italy is sending 3,000. [The armies of these countries are better known for “cutting a good figure” than for their military victories. Peacekeeping may be their true calling.]
Iraq
8-24 CNN. In a commentary, Ken Mehlmen, leading Republican politician, acknowledged that Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world and that this is a reason for keeping American troops there.
8-25. Washington Post. Sectarian violence has killed 10,400 Iraqis.
US Politics
8-18 PBS. A new court ruling against US tobacco companies says that they lied about the hazards of tobacco smoking for fifty years. Now they must discontinue “low tar” and “lite” branding and publicly acknowledge their conspiracy to lie. David Kessler, FDA head under Pres. Clinton, expressed satisfaction that tobacco smoking is no longer socially acceptable. He said this was the worst ever public health offense.
3/5 of Americans now think the Iraq War was a mistake [another poll said 65%]. It is a political albatross for Republicans.
CNN 8-22. Only 1/3 of Americans think we are winning the war on terrorism.
The Democrats have attacked Walmart for underpaying its workers. The low minimum wage may be a major issue in the current campaign. The strongest battles shaping up are in the Northeast and Middle West.
Paul Begala, Democratic representative, said on CNN “We are diplomatically isolated. No one wants to be our ally.”
CNN 8-24. Bill Clinton, warning that the Republicans again are going to charge Democrats with being weak on security. He said, in the eyes of the American public it is “Better to be wrong and strong, than right and weak.” [This is a chronic problem for pacifists. But now there is a retort: the war in Iraq was wrong and has made us weak. Diplomacy and the construction of many needed domestic defences have been neglected.]
Democratic challengers in congressional races are on average 9% points ahead of Republic incumbents.
NY Times 8-25. Paul Krugman: Real estate trends. In California, Florida, and Washington DC the housing market is still strong, but in much of the country housing sales are down and prices are declining. Housing has been the main engine of the economy in the last three years and so this trend forecasts an economic decline ahead.
CNN 8-25. Rep. Chris Shays, Republican, after his fourteenth trip to Iraq, shifts position to need to set timetable for withdrawal of troops. He now says Iraqis should not assume our checkbook open and troops there forever. Shays is in a tight fight with Democrat challenger Dianne Farrell, antiwar activist.
CNN Poll: 91% of Democrats against the Iraq War, one third of Republicans against, and growing.
Science/Religion/Politics
NY Times 8-24. Biologists have developed a technology for establishing colonies of embryonic stem cells from early human embryos without destroying the embryos. This would seem to answer the main objection to embryonic stem cell research but the fight is not over.
CNN 8-24. The FDA has now approved Plan B, the morning after pill, as an over the counter drug for women 18 and older. For those 17 or younger, a doctor’s prescription is necessary. [ This would seem to be a satisfactory compromise, but individuals who do not believe in either contraception or abortion and who work in pharmacies, may refuse to obey the law. New legislation is in preparation to cope with this problem.]
PBS 8-24. Pluto has been downgraded from the status of “planet” to “dwarf planet.” The discovery of many more dwarf planets will be announced soon.
Aftermath of Israeli – Lebanese Conflict
8-18 CNN. The Lebanese Army is now deployed in Southern Lebanon and the Hizbollah fighters have melted into the civilian population. Their arms are out of sight, but not out of reach. Despite the truce agreement, nobody is talking about disarming them.
8-18 PBS. An estimated $1.6 billion damage was done to Israel and $3.6 billion damage to Lebanon during the 34 days of fighting.
Hizbollah is handing out up to $12,000 per Lebanese family made homeless by the bombing. Although the money is in US currency, Iran is suspected of providing it.
8-23. The Guardian and 8-24, The New York Times. Amnesty International has joined Human Rights Watch in accusing Israel of war crimes. Israel flew 7,000 air strikes over Lebanon in 34 days. According to official Lebanese statistics, 1,183 Lebanese were killed, of which about one third were children; 4,054 were injured, and 970,000 displaced; 30,000 homes, 120 bridges, 94 roads, 25 fuel stations, and 900 businesses were destroyed. Amnesty International takes the position that this destruction was deliberate, and not collateral damage. Lebanon, a nation with a population of about four million, will takes many years to recover.
8-24. France, after dragging its feet, agreed to send 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers in Lebanon. Italy is sending 3,000. [The armies of these countries are better known for “cutting a good figure” than for their military victories. Peacekeeping may be their true calling.]
Iraq
8-24 CNN. In a commentary, Ken Mehlmen, leading Republican politician, acknowledged that Iraq has the second largest oil reserves in the world and that this is a reason for keeping American troops there.
8-25. Washington Post. Sectarian violence has killed 10,400 Iraqis.
US Politics
8-18 PBS. A new court ruling against US tobacco companies says that they lied about the hazards of tobacco smoking for fifty years. Now they must discontinue “low tar” and “lite” branding and publicly acknowledge their conspiracy to lie. David Kessler, FDA head under Pres. Clinton, expressed satisfaction that tobacco smoking is no longer socially acceptable. He said this was the worst ever public health offense.
3/5 of Americans now think the Iraq War was a mistake [another poll said 65%]. It is a political albatross for Republicans.
CNN 8-22. Only 1/3 of Americans think we are winning the war on terrorism.
The Democrats have attacked Walmart for underpaying its workers. The low minimum wage may be a major issue in the current campaign. The strongest battles shaping up are in the Northeast and Middle West.
Paul Begala, Democratic representative, said on CNN “We are diplomatically isolated. No one wants to be our ally.”
CNN 8-24. Bill Clinton, warning that the Republicans again are going to charge Democrats with being weak on security. He said, in the eyes of the American public it is “Better to be wrong and strong, than right and weak.” [This is a chronic problem for pacifists. But now there is a retort: the war in Iraq was wrong and has made us weak. Diplomacy and the construction of many needed domestic defences have been neglected.]
Democratic challengers in congressional races are on average 9% points ahead of Republic incumbents.
NY Times 8-25. Paul Krugman: Real estate trends. In California, Florida, and Washington DC the housing market is still strong, but in much of the country housing sales are down and prices are declining. Housing has been the main engine of the economy in the last three years and so this trend forecasts an economic decline ahead.
CNN 8-25. Rep. Chris Shays, Republican, after his fourteenth trip to Iraq, shifts position to need to set timetable for withdrawal of troops. He now says Iraqis should not assume our checkbook open and troops there forever. Shays is in a tight fight with Democrat challenger Dianne Farrell, antiwar activist.
CNN Poll: 91% of Democrats against the Iraq War, one third of Republicans against, and growing.
Science/Religion/Politics
NY Times 8-24. Biologists have developed a technology for establishing colonies of embryonic stem cells from early human embryos without destroying the embryos. This would seem to answer the main objection to embryonic stem cell research but the fight is not over.
CNN 8-24. The FDA has now approved Plan B, the morning after pill, as an over the counter drug for women 18 and older. For those 17 or younger, a doctor’s prescription is necessary. [ This would seem to be a satisfactory compromise, but individuals who do not believe in either contraception or abortion and who work in pharmacies, may refuse to obey the law. New legislation is in preparation to cope with this problem.]
PBS 8-24. Pluto has been downgraded from the status of “planet” to “dwarf planet.” The discovery of many more dwarf planets will be announced soon.
posted by THE FLASHLIGHT at 1:50 PM
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