If the sorry state of the UN's search tool and web design in general is any indication, the fact that Iraq is in "material breach" of the latest resolution on inspections won't lead to UN-sanctioned action before 2003. However, just three days after agreeing to the UN resolution in an 8 page screed that reveals much about the diseased minds who authored it, Iraq has fired on coalition aircraft patroling the no-fly zone.

All of the ills that Iraq suffers would have ended had it adhered to the conditions set forth in the previous resolutions over the past eleven (11) years. The US and its allies have been attacked for causing suffering to the Iraqi people. The private reactions of the Iraqi citizenry reveal those accusations to be the lies that they are.

If Saddam keeps thumbing his nose at the world, his apologists and the UN won't be able to stop the onset of a short, violent war that will once again decimate Saddam's forces. This time, we trust, the cleanup will be complete.

It took another great post by James Lileks to rouse me from my blogcoma. Another fine summary of Mondale's disconnection with anything relevant to the 21st century.

Just as it seemed that the Internet profiteers in the 90s were destroying the thing, the bloggers have created another great use for the wonderful set of tools that comprise it. Instant, unvarnished, analysis and reporting--sometimes with an agenda, but woe to those who try to manipulate the truth in this space! Mondale's sad lack of understanding of the net stands in stark contrast to that of his opponent. I hope that Minnesota's voters are a little brighter.

As for Tacoma, and Washington, we'll see. I don't see any upsets in the races for the House here; no Senate seats are contested this cycle. Self-imposition of taxes are, however, for dubious transportation improvements.

I absolutely love this thorough debunking of "Fritz" Mondale's acceptance speech. Bleat on, Mr. Lileks!

It was refreshing to hear the top story of the eleven o'clock news on the all-talk radio station here lead with the World Series standings tonight. While there are plenty of things to worry about, a return to something close to normalcy--if only for a day or so--is welcome.

It's incredible that Tacoma, where we live, is a nexus of the investigation into the “Serial Sniper”. Apparently, a 42 year old former soldier stationed in Fort Lewis near here and his stepson are “persons of interest” in the investigation. The ex-soldier is wanted on Federal firearms charges.

Apparently, the sniper asked that authorities deposit ten million dollars to the account of a stolen credit card that was taken in an armed robbery in September. Sadly, a person was killed and another person was wounded in that event.

There will be lots of speculation on who these people are, and their connections to the actual sniper, assuming that the soldier and sniper are not one in the same.

Army Ranger and Special Ops forces train at Fort Lewis. Apparently, sniper training is part of the program at the base here. However, I think that there is another theory that may apply here.

Suppose that the soldier stole weapons and ammo from the base prior to his discharge, and that he has been selling them to groups like the “Camp Ground Zero” militia group that runs the training base in Alabama that is also a subject of today’s investigation. Suppose further that the sniper bought a weapon and ammo from the militia base, and was trained in rudimentary marksmanship there. The ex-soldier and his stepson may not be the perpetrators, but may be accessories to a horrible sequence of crimes.

I sincerely hope that the authorities are onto the sniper and will make an arrest soon without further loss of life, unless it is the sniper’s.

One thing you can always count on: nothing ever stays the same forever.

I'm sure that someone said those words, or words to that effect, better before now. The departure of Lou Pinella, the guiding force behind Mariners baseball in Seattle, is now a fact, not a rumor. The Seattle Times does a fine job of conveying some of what Lou has meant to this city. It is arguable that the Seattle Mariners would have moved to some other city had Lou and the "refuse to lose" team of 1995 not energized the city as never before. The 116 game season in 2001, division and wild card championships, and 300 wins in the past 3 years are hallmarks of a team and manager who strove for excellence year in and year out.

Mariners fans everywhere will miss Lou terribly. Those who appreciate his achievements while he was here shouldn't selfishly seek to deny him the chance to be closer to his family, especially to his parents and grandchildren. The fact that it is so hard to let him go without such thoughts is a testiment to what he has meant to us all.

Godspeed, Lou, and thanks for the memories.

I don't currently own a gun, but I respect the rights of those who choose to do so. As many have pointed out, criminals will be ingenious in their efforts to defeat "fingerprinting" of weapons.

In fact, if the criminal doesn't wish to steal a gun, deface the rifling, exchange the barrel, etc., they have other options.

Lead poisoning is a concern for police and military shooters--as well as range operators. So-called "frangible ammo" was developed in part to provide lead-free ammunition with the additional benefit that the bullets virtually destroy themselves on impact, reducing the risk of injury from richochet. The unintended consequence is that a smart sniper with the means to obtain frangible ammo can fire, say, a .223 cartridge at 4,000 fps (most standard loads shoot at 2,000-2,500 fps) with almost no concern for recovery of the spent shell--it would be reduced to little more than tiny copper/tin fragments.

Here's a link with some additional information on frangible ammunition.

I'm not trying to educate the bad guys or frighten the rest of us. Like most bloggers, I think that the issues need to be thought through carefully before jumping head first into solution space.

I'm glad to see that he's finally got a blog of his own. I hope he keeps 'em coming as regular as second helpings at Mama's.

This man is a complete and utter fool, and the very embodiment of Stalin's term, "useful idiot".

I live in the Northwest, in Tacoma. I volunteered for duty in the Air Force and served from 1976 until 1979 in Texas and Colorado. I served with many Vietnam vets who were proud of their efforts in the war while I was stationed at Randolph AFB. They--and I--would willingly defend the USA again if asked--I'd wager that is as true now as then for those who are still with us.

Seattle's Congressman has no shame, and has no business calling himself a veteran. He is a traitor to everything he swore to in the oaths he took upon entering the armed services and the Congress of the United States.

Who would have believed that New Jersey would elbow Florida aside to become the new butt of political jokesters nationwide? Now that the state court has ruled in favor of the Democrats, those pols must be kicking themselves for not dealing with this in a primary election earlier this year. The real worry is that this sort of thing could become a regular tactic of party bosses in the future.

Sure is funny to see the Democrats going to state court about a federal election--again. The argument to grant an exception from the New Jersey statute that requires candidates to remain on the ballot if not replaced more than 51 days prior to the election is weak. If Torricelli hadn't realized he had no chance to win, and decided to resign in order to try to save the Senate for the Democrats, this mess wouldn't have happened. The Democratic leadership should have forced this issue to a head weeks ago and kept the resolution of the problem within the law.

I look forward to seeing how this plays out over the coming weeks.

Well, the enriched uranium story has apparently turned out to be a hoax--the reports from Turkish authorities even got the weight of the material wrong.

Rep. Jim McDermott of Seattle and two other far-left Congressmen visited Iraq over the weekend to sharpen their "Hanoi Jane" skills and shill for Saddam. The Wall Street Journal has a great piece on how this lurch to the left is likely to hurt Democrats this fall and in 2004.

Well, this news about the seizure of more than 33 pounds of weapons grade Uranium by Turkish paramilitary police is alarming, to say the least. The culprits hit the material in a lead box inside a taxi that was stopped 155 miles from the Iraqi border.

At this point, the culprits haven't revealed their destination. I imagine Saddam would have paid more than the $5 million dollar going rate for the package, had it reached him.

Apparently the Tawny Kitaen divorce from St. Louis pitcher Chuck Finley has taken an ugly turn. She's sued her husband for $12 million, claiming he promised to support her financially forever. Wow! Quite a sum in return for such services as helping choose Finley's hair color.

Wow! What a Fisking of Al Gore's speech in San Francisco on Iraq! Michael Kelly mops the floor with Gore; the final paragraph in Kelly's column sums up Gore's latest, saddest flip-flop better than most.

"What a moment! What a speech! What a man! What a disgrace."

Now that we've realized that the Web isn't going to cure every ill that society suffers, including canker sores and incontinence, one has to admit that the darn thing is awfully useful after all. If you live in Tacoma, it's pretty hard to get Dave Barry's column in print in a timely fashion. After spending days reading opinionated screeds--some of which are my own--we deserve to take a minute to enjoy the Web and have a laugh at one of the most vexing parts of modern life--laundry--as chronicled by Mr. Barry as only he can.

By the way, "cankersores.org" is a site under construction. Its advocates need to get on the ball like those who established "incontinence.org". The latter have an advantage since they have long practiced the ability to complete a job in a hurry.

"The great struggles of the twentieth century between liberty and totalitarianism ended with a decisive victory for the forces of freedom—and a single sustainable model for national success: freedom, democracy, and free enterprise. In the twenty-first century, only nations that share a commitment to protecting basic human rights and guaranteeing political and economic freedom will be able to unleash the potential of their people and assure their future prosperity. People everywhere want to be able to speak freely; choose who will govern them; worship as they please; educate their children—male and female; own property; and enjoy the benefits of their labor. These values of freedom are right and true for every person, in every society—and the duty of protecting these values against their enemies is the common calling of freedom-loving people across the globe and across the ages."

This is from the first paragraph of The National Security Strategy of the United States of America. The complete document is very well written, but nothing in it captures the spirit of America and the values we strive to protect like the portion quoted above.

Essentially, this is why we won the original Cold War, and why we'll win this war. People--everyone on earth--want a chance to build lives for themselves and for their children. No one wants to live in slavery, or in a war without end. Those who struggle to survive under the jackboot of totalitarianism yearn for freedom. This is Sadaam's greatest fear, and our greatest weapon.

ESPN.com's Ray Ratto has the goods on last night's ugly incident in Chicago.

This raises a question: why is it that so many of the perps on "Cops"--as well as the "father and son" in last night's episode--wind up shirtless? Warning--if you click the "Cops" link, you'll see someone a little more disrobed than the Chicago duo.

The end of General Magic comes at last.

They beat out Go Corp. for AT&T's favor, but never realized their potential. Kinda like Momenta failed to do.

The Command Compass was nice, but not $4,995 worth!