Day: August 7, 2003

Same Old Al Gore

Al Gore gave a speech today hosted by MoveOn.Org which included easily debunked claims about Saddam Hussein and 9/11,

In any case, what we now know to have been false impressions include the following:

(1) Saddam Hussein was partly responsible for the attack against us on September 11th, 2001, so a good way to respond to that attack would be to invade his country and forcibly remove him from power.

That’s simply not true. The administration said there was evidence that Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda, and pointed out Hussein’s praise for the 9/11 hijackers and other terrorists. It did not say that it had evidence that Iraq played a role in 9/11. As Bush said in his State of the Union Address,

Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda. Secretly, and without fingerprints, he could provide one of his hidden weapons to terrorists, or help them develop their own.

Donald Rumsfeld offered a concise explanation of what the Administration should have been pushing more in months leading up to the war instead of fixating on the idea that Iraq posed an immediate threat with its weapons of mass destruction program,

The objective in the global war on terror is to prevent another attack like September 11th, or a biological, nuclear or chemical attack that would be worse, before it happens. We can say with confidence that the world is a better place today because the United States led a coalition of forces into action in Iraq.

Gore compounds his misstatement by repeating a false claim about the recently released report on 9/11,

For example, according to the just-released Congressional investigation, Saddam had nothing whatsoever to do with the attacks of Sept. 11. Therefore, whatever other goals it served — and it did serve some other goals — the decision to invade Iraq made no sense as a way of exacting revenge for 9/11.

The UPI originally made this claim in a July 23 article, and later was forced to retract it on July 29 after the report had been released and did not contain any information about Iraq. According to UPI,

Prior to the report’s publication, a person who had read it told UPI that it showed U.S. intelligence agencies had no evidence linking Iraq to the 9-11 attacks or to al-Qaida. In fact, the issue is not addressed in the declassified sections of the report.

One other person who has seen the classified version of the document told UPI subsequently that the Iraq issue is not addressed in the still-classified section, either. “They didn’t ask that question,” the person said.

Notice, by the way, that the UPI was apparently used by a source to plant a false story ahead of the release of the 9/11 report. And it worked — the main thing the former Vice President seems to know about the report is this false story.

I understand the need for journalists to maintain confidential sources, but when a source intentionally misleads in order to plant false stories the media should identify the source.

When the veracity of Bush’s statements about Iraq’s efforts to acquire uranium were called into doubt, the press demanded that the White House reveal who inserted those words into the State of the Union speech. When a corporation gets caught misleading investors, journalists demand that the source of the corruption be revealed and investigated, and often go as far as publishing confidential internal memos and e-mail to expose the wrongdoer.

But when the UPI runs a completely bogus story from an anonymous source, there’s absolutely no public accountability for that individual.

Sources:

U.S. Renews Claims of Hussein-Al Qaeda Link. Greg Miller and Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, January 30, 2003.

9/11 spurred war, Rumsfeld says.Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times, July 9, 2003.

More Scheer myth-spreading. Brendan Nyhan, Spinsanity.Com, August 6, 2003.

Former Vice President Al Gore Remarks to MoveOn.org. Al Gore, New York University, August 7, 2003.

President Delivers “State of the Union”. White House, January 28, 2003.

Mike Hawash Pleads Guilty

What a difference a day makes. Last night anyone who visited FreeMikeHawash.Org would have been informed that Mike Hawash was being unfairly prosecuted because of his religious beliefs (emphasis added),

On April 28, the day before Mike would have been ordered released, the U.S. Justice Department issued a Complaint, charging Mike with Conspiracy to Levy War on the United States. Mike is being targeted because he is a Muslim. The Justice Department has organized a smear campaign to portray him as a radical.

Mike’s attorney, Mr. Stephen Houze, has characterized the evidence in the Affidavit provided to be “sketchy” and “circumstantial”. The evidence provided is substantially less detailed and conclusive than that against the alleged “Portland 6” co-conspirators.

Visit the site today, however, and it’s a whole different story,

Aug 6: Mike pled guilty today to one count of his three-count indictment. He admitted attempting to enter Afghanistan with members of the “Portland 6”. We hope that justice has been served, and our focus now shifts to support for Mike’s family in this difficult time.

I can’t wait to read what Dan Gillmor makes of this Kafka-esque turn of events. Somebody call Andy Grove!

Alaska Lt. Governor Approves Initial Step in Initiative to Ban Bear Baiting

Alaska’s Lt. Governor Loren Leman approved the language of an initiative petition that, if successful, would ban bear baiting in that state.

Opponents of bear baiting argue that it is both unethical and potentially dangerous. Alaskan wilderness guide John Erickson told the Associated Press that the practice teaches bears to seek out human-supplied sources of food,

We are teaching them to eat garbage out in the woods. Once you get a bear in the dump, they are a garbage bear.

Black bears are the only species that Alaska allows hunters to bait, and close to 20 percent of the 2,500 bears killed annually in Alaska are black bears that are killed after having been baited. There are an estimated 100,000 black bears in Alaska.

The Humane Society of the United States argues that bear baiting is “unfair.” Wayne Pacelle told the Associated Press,

It’s not surprising wherever baiting occurs, it’s enormously controversial. It cannot
withstand public scrutiny, because it’s so unfair to the bear and because it causes obvious conflicts between bears and humans.

Supporters counter that it is no more unfair than using bird calls and decoys to attract birds or using baited hooks to catch fish. Or, as Alaska Daily News outdoor editor Craig Medred put it,

Yes, I know, some will say, “Well, gee, that doesn’t sound fair.”

It isn’t. Hunting isn’t fair. And it doesn’t matter whether the hunting is done by humans, wolves or, for that matter, bears. Predators are the animals with weapons, fangs and claws. The prey are the animals with the tasty flesh.

In the long-running and ongoing dance between predator and prey, individual predators are destined to win, and individual prey are destined to lose. The only thing that keeps the system going is the ability of the prey to — for lack of a better analogy — breed like rabbits.

This is the way nature works. There is nothing fair about it.

Supporters of the ban now must collect 23,286 in at least 27 election districts in order to place the initiative on the 2004 ballot.

Sources:

Baiting is traditional form of bear hunting. Craig Medred, Alaska Daily News, July 6, 2003.

Critics of bear baiting aim at voters. Mike Chambers, Associated Press, July 7, 2003.

Leman approves bear baiting initiative petition. Kenai Peninsula Online, June 20, 2003.

Animal Rights Aristocrat Erects Monument to Animals Slaughtered in Foot-and-Mouth Epidemic

The Scotsman reports that the Duchess of Hamilton, who the paper describes as “a high-profile animal welfare campaigner”, has erected a 10-foot stone memorial to the animals killed during the 2001 outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom.

The government relied largely on a strategy of slaughtering all animals within a 1.5 km radius of any confirmed presence of foot-and-mouth disease. Millions of animals were killed and their carcasses burned in an effort to stop the spread of the disease.

The Duchess of Hamilton’s memorial features a plaque that reads,

This memorial is dedicated to all the animal needlessly slaughtered in the foot-and-mouth crisis. We remember the persecution of the animal kingdom and the trauma inflicted upon our countryside. We resolve to work towards a more respectful, harmonious and sustainable relationship between the animal and human kingdoms. We resole to ensure that such an outrage will never be allowed to happen again.

Source:

Duchess unveils foot-and-mouth memorial. Christopher Claire, The Scotsman, June 15, 2003.

Georgia to Resume Alligator Hunt

According to a story in the Christian Science Monitor, Georgia will join a growing number of states allowing alligator hunting to control that species’ numbers.

This quite a turnaround for a species that whose numbers had dwindled in the 1960s to the point that Southern states instituted bans on alligator hunting. Today, however, alligator numbers have exploded to the point that alligator populations continue to expand even in states such as Florida, South Carolina and Louisiana where commercial hunting of alligators has been restored.

Georgia will not be reinstating serious commercial hunting of alligators, but will instead issue 180 alligator licenses targeting sport hunters. According to the Christian Science Monitor, that’s out of an estimated alligator population of 200,000.

This is the point in the story where we find the obligatory animal rights quote opposing the hunt, this time from the Animal Protection Institute’s Camilla Fox who told the Christian Science Monitor,

It’s better to try to coexist with the animal that is present than remove them and potentially bring in . . . a greater problem.

In a press release on its web site, the Animal Protection Institute expanded on Fox’s sentiments,

The state of Georgia is proposing its first alligator-hunting season for September 2003 — and the hunt will be excessively fierce and cruel.

. . .

By nature, alligators are shy and reclusive, and are typically wary of humans. As people continue to invade their territory, the animals are forced into closer contact with civilization. Loss of habitat, prey, and polluted waters are some of the risks that alligators already face. They do not need the added stress of being hunted as well.

If alligators are so stressed, why do their populations continue to increase? Sounds like it’s API that needs to relax.

Source:

The alligator hunt returns. Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, June 16, 2003.

Help Stop the Cruel & Unnecessary Sport Hunting of Georgia Alligators. Press Release, Animal Protection Institute, July 24, 2003.

Animal Rights Activist Loses Murder Appeal

Dutch animal rights activist Volkert van der Graaf recently lost his appeal to reduce his prison sentence for the 2002 assassination of politician Pim Fortuyn.

For the pre-mediated, cold blood assassination of a major political figure, van der Graaf was sentenced to only 18 years in jail. He and his lawyers believed even that was too long and appealed in an attempt to get it reduced to 12 years. Prosecutors also appealed, arguing that the political nature of the crime demanded life imprisonment.

The appeals court, however, let the 18 year sentence stand. With good behavior, van der Graaf should be out of prison by 2014. That’s just bizarre — imagine if Sirhan Sirhan had been released in 1980! If you’re into political murders, the Netherlands is apparently the place to be.

There were a couple of new revelations at the appeal. The prosecutor argued that van der Graaf’s primary motivation for killing Fortuyn was Fortuyn’s promise to lift the ban on fur farms. When questioned about this, van der Graaf conceded that it was a factor in his decision to kill Fortuyn, but that it was not his primary motivation.

The issue of van der Graaf’s connection with another murder also resurfaced after a Dutch television station broadcast a story on the similarity between the assassination of Fortuyn and the still-unsolved murder of environmental officer Chris van de Werken.

Previous reports said that van der Graaf had been questioned in that murder, but a Dutch television report claimed that, in fact, van der Graaf had never been questioned by police about van de Werken’s murder. The Fortuyn List Party formally asked Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner to re-open the investigation into van de Werken’s death.

Source:

Van der Graaf loses sentence appeal. Expatica.Com, July 18, 2003.

Court rejects appeal by Dutch Fortuyn’s killer. Wendel Broere, Reuters, July 18, 2003.

Dutch court upholds term in assassination of Fortuyn. Associated Press, July 19, 2003.

Dutch Court Hears Assassination Appeal. Associated Press, July 1, 2003.

No change for killer. Radio Netherlands, July 18, 2003.