It's hard for me to keep a diary going.
Have you seen the new web pages? click.
Elise is now walking. She is also starting to talk more, although mostly still baby gibberish.
Later.
September 2002 Archives
Well now the administration indicates that Iraq had links to the terrorist, and trained them in the use of chemical weapons. I wish it was more compelling proof than the word of a detainee. Heard a congress critter today indicating that if we have war, we won't have tax reductions and we won't have better medi-care. We'll see how long that idea stick in an election cycle.
Bush accused congress of being self interested rather than focused on our hations security. Of course the democrates were in a snit about that one. While I think the democrats are just as keen on security as anyone else, it's really no surprise that our politicians are self interested.
On software. There is nothing engineers like less than arbitrary rules that don't make sense. It's why we write software because we often can make up our own rules as we go, once we understand our tools.
I couldn't think of a catchy title so we're stuck with what I have above.
I am still thinking about the Iraq bit's from yesterday. More than anything I wish the American public was given more information justifying a two-front war with al-qaeda and Iraq.
On more personal notes, the weather in Minnesota has been fantastic. It's cool and clear, the best kind of fall. It should be almost cold this weekend so I better start winterizing the house a bit and getting ready for fall chores.
I still can't figure out why we are warring with Iraq. Here is what I am thinking.
1) High government officials have intelligence information they are unwilling to share, because it's to sensistive. This information would lead any rational person to war with Iraq.
2) We would like to continue George Bush I, war with Iraq and now have public sentiment whipped enough to do it, thanks to September 11.
3) We need to get Iraq's oil into the hands of a friendly dictator as the Saudi regime may not always be friendly.
4) We are concerned about UN Security Council Resolution.
5) Wagging the Dog, until the midterm elections are over. That way the corporate scandals get less coverage.
Well, option four is laughable so scratch that. One problem here is that as soon as President Bush started barking up that tree, Saddam has an out, he can let inspectors back in. The internation community will be glad to let that play itself out. We don't appear to want that. We can't say this is our motivation and then continue to rattle sabers when Saddam meats our demands.
Option one is very possible. If this is the case I think that the government would do well to cough up the sensitive evidence and let world opinion swing our way. Even something along the lines of satelite imagery like Kennedy showed during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Not trusting the American people to know the truth is a grave mistake.
Option two is simply frightening, with motivation being provided by personal vendetta, or money interest. I simply doubt this.
Option five. I like this one best, as it results in a cooling after November, and less blood shed.
Options three, sounds ok to me, but if that's the goal we should state it more directly. I don't like deceit.
The real cost of warring with Iraq has been stated in many editorials eloquently. Namely this, the Arab world is mostly under 25. For the first time their struggles are being televised across the arab world. If you think that's not significant, think about how TV coverage affected the perceptions of Vietnam in the U.S. As the arab media outlets are state controlled they are very careful to focus on external causes of suffering and not on the corrupt leaders of their own countries. As such any war with Iraq will provide this generation with another 1000 reasons to hate the west, and the U.S. specifically. In 20 years when this baby boom overthrows the entrenched dictators and kings, they will be only to glad to turn their hatred toward us. This is the real threat.
What a pathetic diarist I am.
The entire summer has passed and nary an entry since June.
Well what is there to say.
The summer has been more than busy, with a lot of people who have visited.
Now it is fall and it's time to prepare for winter. New car batteries, drain the sprinkler system, prepare the lawn mower for the long winter, make sure the snow blower works, yada, yada, yada...
On the flip side the kids are doing well, Elise now walks Franken style and Matthew is a verbal whiz.
I need to put more pictures up here, I suppose.
I am glad to be working. I know far too many people out of a job. I wish the economy was better.
