Monday, March 06, 2006

Quickie

Good night. Finally. Elaine couldn't get it, Rebecca couldn't get in and I couldn't get in. We all got the same error messages when we tried to log into our accounts tonight.

Study: 90% of Baghdad Residents Suffer Psychological Disorders
Meanwhile, the Washington Post is reporting a new study has found more than 90 percent of Baghdad residents suffer from psychological disorders such as insomnia, depression and post-traumatic stress. According to the study, violent incidents have nearly doubled during the three years since the invasion than in the preceding 14 years. A mass-exodus of educated professionals since the US invasion has left the country with only 75 psychiatrists -- and no child psychiatrists at all.

If we were there to help (I know, I never bought that lie either), wouldn't we have done something about that from the start? We were happy to hold conferences on "investment" opportunities and privatization and you name it, but we weren't interested in organizing medical teams. And we weren't interested in protecting the hospitals or their medical infrastructure.


Post Reporter Gave Back FBI Document in Possible Spy Case
Meanwhile, the Washington Post has revealed one of its reporters gave the FBI back a secret document he obtained from a group who said it contained proof they were targets of the government's spy program. The reporter, David Ottaway, received the document from Saudi Arabia's al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in 2004. The document had been mistakenly handed over to the group by the federal government. The Post finally broke the group's story last week, when its Oregon affiliate filed a lawsuit against the government. The group says government records show the National Security Agency intercepted several of the group's conversations in the spring of 2004. Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie said the government's surveillance program was not known at the time Ottaway received the document, and thus contained no "useful information."

This story pissed me off. Someone went to a reporter with proof they were being spied on and the reporter's response is to rat out the source and hand the document over to the FBI? Am I missing something here? At a time when the press wants to cry that they're under attack from the government, this guy Ottaway is basically in league with them.

Check out Wally's "THIS JUST IN! CHENEY'S OSCAR NIGHT RAMPAGE!" which is hilarious and "Ruth's Public Radio Report" which is full of information. I'm at work in the morning so I didn't get to catch Law & Disorder but Nina heard and said everyone should go listen.

There was a thing I had planned for tonight but that was what, three hours ago? So that's going to be it. I'll pick up on what I had planned for tonight tomorrow.







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