Chris At Home

I promise to keep this one under control and under 100 links.

• OpFor has an interesting post on what possibilities exist for ending the endless crises with North Korea. The best scenarios are a military coup which could install a more pragmatic government, or a simple regime collapse due to lack of resources. I do not believe that China would intervene; while a unified Korea is a threat to China, they seem to fear the millions of Nork refugees more. "Let South Korea handle the problem" would be their policy, while making veiled threats to ensure the Sork and American military stays away from their border.
  
  China condemns any UN sanctions on the Norks, as expected. Japan is next up to bat; the UN will do nothing but shake its bony finger so what will the Japanese do?
  
  
• Did I mention the Norks seem to be hacking into State Department computers?
  
  
• Michelle looks at the religious worker visa scam, used to import hundreds of aliens illegally, primarily Muslims. I wish I would have thought of that; I wouldn't have to wait 12-18 months to get my wife into the USA.
  
  
• The deadline for Iran's response has passed. The US says stop nuke work or face a vigourous finger-wagging. Some realize how silly we look and encourage strict sanctions on Iran and the Norks. N.B. to the SunTimes: the Russians and Chinese do get it, they are only acting in their own best interests; the US is not.
  
  
• Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has left Syria and reportedly in Iran. He is blamed for organizing the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier, which led to the occupation of Gaza.
  
  
• Hezbollah and/or Lebanese militias (pretend there is a difference) have kidnapped 2 Israeli soldiers. Hezbollah is backed by Syria and Iran, but Israel is holding Lebanon responsible. "Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to resign, dismantle the Authority and leave the Territories, the London-based A Sharq al Awsat reported Wednesday."
  
  The situation is spiraling into a real storm. Israel vs the PA, Lebanon, Syria and Iran? Take Israel at 7:5 odds.
  
  
• The Pentagon has announced a policy change: captured terrorists will be treated as POWs under the Geneva Convention. No word from Al Qaeda if they will stop torturing and mutilating American soldiers and Iraqi civilians. Heh. Bryan says we only captured them to interrogate the terrorists, so why capture them? Kill them (we certainly won't release them).
  
  
• The White House ridicules Clinton policy on North Korea:
  

  White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters that Bill Richardson, who served as United Nations ambassador and Energy Secretary under Clinton, "went with flowers and chocolates, and he went with light-water nuclear reactors ... and a basketball signed by Michael Jordan and many other inducements for the 'dear leader' to try to agree not to develop nuclear weapons, and it failed."

  
  
• China is making money secretly selling arms, using American technology. Long article, but interesting stories about how China steals technologies instead of learning to do it themselves.
  
  
• PubliusPundit discusses the new Russia/China axis and its anti-Democratic agenda.
  
  
• The stupidest scandal in American history, Plamegate, is winding down. Where did Bob Novak get Valerie Plame's name? From Who's Who in America, scan here. Novak gives his version of the entire proceedings here. Since the special prosecutor knew Novak's sources from the beginning, why this 2 years of investigation? The only indictment is Scooter Libby, revolving around whether Scooter remembers who he talked to on which dates.
  
  
• Friggin' Egyptian decide to accept money from Denmark. "We hate you, but we will take your money."
  

My Space is the #1 website in the US, getting 4.46% of all site traffic. I must be getting old after being on the internet for 17 years. I have been there twice and don't have a clue why people like it: dog-slow loading times, ugly home pages, and useless without registering an account.

But then, I thought Prodigy and 2400 baud modems were pretty cool back in the day so don't let my opinion sway you.

Update: Heh!