] An Arabic TV news network said Friday that American
] hostage Paul Johnson Jr. has been beheaded by his Saudi
] captors.

(deep sigh)

Yet another death for my family. My grandfather, my uncle, and two family friends all within a few months. My head reels. My heart grieves.

Saudi Hostage Paul Johnson Killed

] The American contractor kidnapped in Saudi Arabia, purportedly
] by al-Qaida, placed great value in Arabic culture and once sent a
] copy of the Quran to his sister, his son said.
]
] Paul Johnson Jr. highlighted passages from the Islamic
] holy text that he felt were especially important, said
] Paul Johnson III.

I do not personally know Paul Johnson, but he is a friend of my extended family, and news of his kidnapping was greeted with sadness. My sympathies go to him and his family, and I hope for his safe return.

Florida, New Jersey relatives await word on kidnapped man's fate

The following is a transcript of remarks by CIA Director George J. Tenet to employees and members of the US Intelligence Community.

I have decided to step down as Director of Central Intelligence, effective July 11th, the seventh anniversary of my being sworn in as DCI.

I did not make this decision quickly or easily. But I know in my heart that the time is right to move on to the next phase of our lives.

As I look back on how the Intelligence Community has evolved over the past decade, there is much to be proud of.

What you have achieved in this fight against a clever, fanatical enemy, around the world the cells destroyed, the conspiracies defeated, the innocent lives saved will for most Americans be forever unknown and uncounted. But for those privileged to observe these often hidden successes, they will be an unforgettable testament to your dedication and your valor.

In short: each day, here and abroad, from diverse backgrounds, with varied skills, you come together for a single purpose: to give our country an essential advantage in its understanding of the conditions in the world, and in its ability to change those conditions for the better.

We are not perfect but one of our best kept secrets is that we are very, very, very good.

It is difficult in knowing that I will not be as directly connected to the thousands of men and women overseas who along with their families sacrifice so much to protect our country.

But there is also great joy in knowing that I will never be far away in heart and spirit from all of you. You will have no greater advocate wherever I may be for you and your families.

As Dick Helms used to say, let's get on with it and get back to work.

Tenet Remarks to CIA Colleagues

Amusing op-ed piece from the New York Times. It takes the spin (as I read it) that so many anti-war folks have staked their reputation on there being no WMD in Iraq, that they're deliberately downplaying the gallon of Sarin that was detonated a few days ago.

] You never saw such a rush to dismiss this as not news. U.N.
] weapons inspectors whose reputations rest on denial of Saddam's
] W.M.D. pooh-poohed the report.
 . . .
] In this rush to misjudgment, we can see an example of the "Four
] Noes" that have become the defeatists' platform.
] The first "no" is no stockpiles of W.M.D., used to justify the
] war, were found. With the qualifier "so far" left out, the
] absence of evidence is taken to be evidence of absence.

Heh.

Sarin? What Sarin?

] Mr. Chairman, I know you join me today in saying to the
] world, judge us by our actions, watch how Americans,
] watch how a democracy deals with the wrongdoing and with
] scandal and the pain of acknowledging and correcting our
] own mistakes and our own weaknesses.

This statement resonates with me. Though there are things that Rumsfeld says and does that I *don't* like, I respect that he went on international media today (the statement was also broadcast live on Arabic channels), and publicly apologized and took responsibility.

The actions that took place at the prison still disgust me. But, the more I learn about what went on, the more I'm encouraged that the system was self-correcting. Yes, some of our people went psychotic and were abusing prisoners. But the abuse *was* reported by another soldier, and the supervisors it was reported to took swift action. The incidents were investigated, documented, and charges were filed -- all this *before* anything had gone public. It was being handled, even without a public outcry, and for that, I'm reassured.

So I liked what Rumsfeld said. Yes, there was a screwup, and it was a big one. But we can measure ourselves not just by how we do things right, but how we deal with things when something goes wrong. The best way to handle it, in my opinion, is to acknowledge that we fucked up, apologize to (and as appropriate compensate) those who were wronged, and then analyze our systems and procedures to see how we can improve things in the future to prevent such screw-ups re-occurring.

I don't expect perfection of my elected officials -- I do expect intelligence, compassion, a desire to do the right thing, and an ability to look at a system that doesn't work, and implement changes to improve it. So far, I'm seeing exactly that kind of behavior on this issue. So no, I don't think Rumsfeld should resign.

Transcript: Rumsfeld's Opening Statement

] Like a well-targeted attack-ad in a U.S. election
] campaign, the Abu Ghraib images make a visceral
] connection with an Arab audience, that no amount of
] contextualizing, apologies, reprimands or school-painting
] can reverse. No ad agency could have produced a more
] effective al-Qaeda recruitment tool: Bin Laden's movement
] presents its goal as the redemption of Muslim honor which
] has been "prostituted" before the West by "apostate"
] pro-U.S. regimes. Scenes of graphic humiliation of
] Muslims by American soldiers -- women mocking the
] genitalia of naked men -- will reinforce the appeal
] among the shamed young men of the Arab world of the
] extremists' message that violence against America as the
] path of Muslim redemption.

TIME.com: How the Prison Scandal Sabotages the U.S. in Iraq

] LAWRENCEVILLE -- Prosecutors on Monday said the trial
] for DragonCon founder Ed Kramer, accused of molesting
] three teen boys, was delayed because of medical reasons.
]
] The trial was originally slated to begin Monday, but it
] was postponed because Kramer scheduled a surgery last
] week and was still recovering, according to Assistant
] District Attorney Jim Miskell. A new trial date has not
] been scheduled yet, Miskell said.
]
] A trial has been deferred several times since Kramer was
] arrested four years ago. Most recently, the case was
] postponed in November after a third boy came forward with
] accusations of sexual abuse and Kramer's attorneys
] asked for a continuance.
]
] Kramer says he is innocent. His attorney, Walt Britt, did
] not return phone calls Monday.
]
] Kramer was arrested in August 2000 for allegedly
] molesting two brothers, ages 13 and 15, at his home. In
] October 2003, another teen came forward with a similar
] account. Kramer has been under house arrest at his Duluth
] home.

Thoughts/Observations:

(1) He had "major surgery," but is well enough to be recuperating at home, but not well enough to attend trial?

(2) Nearly every article I've seen originates with information from the prosecuting attorney. I never hear anything from the defense.

(3) The "Kramer Defense Fund" site has not been updated since 8/2003.

(4) There is a "Defense Fund" mailing list, which for the last several months has been posting *nothing* about Kramer or any of the trial dates -- just occasional links to articles about corruption or abuse in the Atlanta prison system (incidents which have nothing to do with Kramer).

Gwinnett Daily Post - Kramer Trial Postponed Again

] A Gwinnett County judge has ordered the continuance of
] the child molestation trial for DragonCon founder Edward
] Kramer.
]
] Kramer had surgery recently and it is unknown when his
] condition will improve enough that the trial can be held,
] said prosecutors. Kramer is at home recuperating and
] remains under house arrest.
]
] Edward Kramer is the founder of the popular annual
] science fiction convention DragonCon.
]
] Today, six months after his initial trial date, Kramer
] was to face felony charges of child molestation and
] aggravated child molestation.
]
] Kramer was arrested Aug. 25, 2000, after a 13-year-old
] boy said he was sodomized while spending the night at
] Kramer's Duluth home.
]
] Weeks later, the 15-year-old brother of the 13-year-old
] told police that he, too, was molested while visiting
] Kramer's home, authorities said.
]
] Just before the case was to go to trial last November,
] another victim emerged. An 18-year-old testified before a
] grand jury panel and claimed four years of sexual abuse
] by Kramer, a family friend, prosecutors said. The teen
] said Kramer abused him between January 1996 and August
] 2000.
]
] Kramer maintains his innocence

I find it suspicious that the surgery was scheduled in a conflict with the new trial date, causing the trial to again be delayed.

DragonCon founder's trial delayed again

I am appalled at the way prisoners were treated, as seen in these photos. There is no excuse for these actions, there is no spin, this is just plain wrong. My only hope is that this is an aberration, and *not* the way that prisoners across the country are being treated.

If this *is* the way that my country is treating the enemy, then I will withdraw my support for the war. If these kinds of incidents are widespread, then I say get us out *now*. It would be better to let the Iraqis endure the anarchy that would follow, and deal with their own problems (or not), than to see American soldiers commit further atrocities of this nature. It's bad enough hearing the death toll rise. But in combination with seeing our soldiers torture and humiliate prisoners? No, that's too far. I supported this war to liberate Iraq from a ruthless dictator and to make life *better* for Iraqis -- not to inflict further humiliation of this type from American hands.

RE: The Abu Ghraib Prison Photos

] . . . serious train accidents are normal in North Korea and
] the various explanations for the cause of the explosion,
] other than an assassination attempt, sound plausible
] given the perilous state of the economy.
]
] In the 1960s Kim Il-Sung decided to phase out steam
] engines. Ignoring expert advice, he ordered that the
] country's railways be entirely electrified so that even
] if oil imports were blocked, the transport system would
] still operate.
]
] The transmission lines were buried underground to ensure
] that the enemy could not destroy the electricity grid.
] The grid has disintegrated into islands and there is
] never enough power to run the trains.
]
] The Russian and South Korean governments, who wanted to
] restore the North's railway system and move goods from
] the Pacific to the Atlantic, found that it would cost
] over $3bn (£1.7bn) to upgrade the rail system to
] transport goods in any quantities.
]
] The trains depend on hydro power, but most of the
] country's dams have silted up and electricity generation
] is sporadic. Passengers sometimes need weeks to complete
] a train journey, even between major cities. At every
] station there are always hundreds of people waiting in
] hopes of getting on a train.
]
] Refugees reported that in one incident an overcrowded
] train travelling to Hysean suddenly lost power going up a
] hill and slipped back, crashing into another train,
] killing or injuring more than 3,000 people.

More stories of the insanity in North Korea. The latest speculation, according to the article, is that the explosion was caused by a train full of explosives that accidentally got tangled with power lines.

According to the article, the explosion levelled the train station, a school, and apartments within a 457-metre radius. The statistics are currently reported as: 150 dead, 12,249 injured, 1,850 households destroyed and another 6,350 homes partly destroyed in the town, which has a population of 20,000.

Jeez.

Decaying Railway Infrastructure in North Korea