Attack of the codes

Hi. I'm currently tumbling down the rabbit hole with the redesigns on my backup blog. As far as the progress being made, I've come to the conclusion that I'm in favor of cloning, because that's the only way I'm going to get this done along with living the rest of my life. I'm untying knots of code and trying do not botch things up too badly. Right now, it's a bland white with black text. Well, it can only get better.

Also, I've got tickets to "Two Towers" tomorrow. The wife and I have been catching commercials for it all night, making us mad with urgency to get our hinders into the multiplex. Ents, wargs, the eye of Sauron, the orcs at Helm's Deep, all flashing across my TV screen in such a rapid-fire speed that it's a testimony to being raised in the cool Pepsi-blue glow of MTV that I've been able to piece it all together on the fly.

But I do want to weigh in some a couple things, unrelated on first glance but yummily ironic in later gawkings.

First, there's this. Opening snip below.

Iraqis would largely welcome a US-led attack leading to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, according to a survey of public opinion inside Iraq.

Although they are suspicious of the Iraqi opposition abroad, a majority of Iraqis from all social classes say they see a US strike leading to a change of a regime as the only way they can lead normal lives after over twenty years of war, sanctions and economic misery.

"What we want is simply a dose of stability," said a student at Mosul University interviewed by the authoritative Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG). "We have suffered enough due to our leaders' mistakes."

The ICG carried out dozens of covert interviews in the capital, Baghdad, the northern city of Mosul and the religious centre of Najaf on the Euphrates. Few Iraqis opposed an invasion for patriotic reasons or fear that an attack would lead to heavy civilian casualties.

Sure, this poll was carried out in downtown Baghdad, crawling with Saddam Hussein's repressive and brutal secret police. Remember, this is the same nation that gave Hussein a 100% re-election margin during a recent election. If dissent by (arguably secret) ballot is difficult, then talking to a stranger about wanting to have Saddam ousted is a near impossibility. So, either this story is a flat-out fake to drum up support in the West that the poor Iraqis really want a regime change (which, hey, they might) or Saddam isn't that much of a tyrant after all, allowing people to speak their mind about their leader, which puts a damper on the whole “despot” thing.

But, hey it just goes to show there is disinformation on the other side of the world, too. Here in the United States, it's all a numbers game. For example

More than two-thirds of Americans believe the Bush administration has failed to make its case that a war against Iraq is justified, according to a poll by the Los Angeles Times published Tuesday.

Ninety percent of respondents said they don't doubt Iraq is developing weapons of mass destruction. But without new evidence from U.N. inspectors, 72 percent of respondents, including 60 percent of Republicans, said the president has not provided enough evidence to justify starting a war.

Okay, 90% of the public believes Iraq is making those icky weapons like nuclear bombs and anthrax, but 72% surveyed said there isn't enough proof right now to attack.

If the public believes it, but they know feel there is no proof to back up that belief, can we now admit Team Bush has been playing propaganda all along, feeding suspicions and lies to the American populace to get a war no one wants outside of Team Bush, their defense contractor buddies, and various oil cronies.

To paraphrase Trent Lott: you know, if the Supreme Court wouldn't have butted in two years ago and just let Al Gore be the rightful president, we wouldn't be in this mess we are today.

P.S. We're becoming the supervillain that is thwarted by Bond in the final reel. Seriously though, does anyone think this zillion-dollar defense project is going to stop some joker with a suitcase nuke or some wide-eyed religious fanatic (pick your God with care, people) with a vial of anthrax at your local crowded shopping mall on Christmas Eve?

(On edit: P.P.S. Or for that matter, does anyone think it'll work at all?)