Friday, January 30, 2004

So it was about the oil…

Filthy Lucre

ABC is reporting on the list of people and organizations who supported Saddam Hussein’s regime and were given oil contracts as a result.  All of the contracts were under the UN administered Oil for Food program, and were awarded between 1997 and the start of the war.  The list was discovered in the files of the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

Investigators say none of the people involved would have actually taken possession of oil, but rather just the right to buy the oil at a discounted price, which could be resold to a legitimate broker or oil company, at an average profit of about 50 cents a barrel. ...

According to the document, France was the second-largest beneficiary, with tens of millions of barrels awarded to Patrick Maugein, a close political associate and financial backer of French President Jacques Chirac.

Maugein, individually and through companies connected to him, received contracts for some 36 million barrels. Chirac’s office said it was unaware of Maugein’s deals, which Maugein told ABCNEWS are perfectly legal.

The single biggest set of contracts were given to the Russian government and Russian political figures, more than 1.3 billion barrels in all — including 92 million barrels to individual officials in the office of President Vladimir Putin.

George Galloway, British MP and vocal critic of the war, was on the list for 19 million barrels, though he denies any involvement.  Most disturbing to me was the presence on the list of the Russian Orthodox Church.  I wonder what defense they are offering.

I don’t think anyone should be surprised about the French involvement.


Posted by Buckethead on 01/30/04 at 09:56 PM
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The Magical Interweb

Entertainment

Steve at Begging to Differ has found a wonderful, addictive internet timewaster:

Hit the Penguin

You are a Yeti.  Your job is to whack the penguin as far as you can.  The key is to get some air under him, but not too much.  You need to skip him like a flat stone on a creek.  So far, the record is 323.4 by Fred.  Mine is 322.6

There is another version of the game, Yeti on ‘roids.  Records there are 593.5, and 499.7 on the fly - both by BTD Steve.  (I’ve gotten 591.3 and 498.1.  So close, but yet so far away.  As Vince Lombardi once said, second place is the first loser.)

[wik]And, while we’re at it, here’s another fun game: Moonlander, which is reminiscent of one of my favorite old school arcade games.  If I could have any three classic arcade games, they would be Asteroids, Moonlander and Centipede.

[also wik] My wife informs me that there i also a super-steroid version.


Posted by Buckethead on 01/30/04 at 09:42 PM
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Civilization and its Enemies

War

On the recommendation of Trent Telenko and Tom Holsinger, commenters over at Winds of Change, I went out and got a copy of Lee Harris’ book Civilization and its Enemies, The Next Stage of History.  Over lunch, I got about 30 pages in, and I can tell you that it is an amazing book.  I’ll report back on this when I’ve absorbed a bit more, but I suggest you run to your local book purveyor and get yourself a copy.


Posted by Buckethead on 01/30/04 at 08:52 PM
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A Small Notice

Perfidy

In case anyone was wondering, the trackback function for Perfidy posts is now working.  A small matter of configuration, and no HTML Gnomes were killed or injured in the effort to provide you with the highest quality perfidious service.  (Several were subjected to vicious haranguing, and as a result had their feelings hurt.) Link on!


Posted by Buckethead on 01/30/04 at 08:50 PM
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Insults Collected

War

A vigorous exchange on Winds of Change left me wondering...exactly how many insults were thrown in my direction?  I should, of course, count the insults I hurled in return as well.  I might have been pre-emptive once or twice as well.  wink

“full of ‘understanding’ for the suicide bombers”
“bleeding-heart liberal”
“an enabler” (for terrorism)
“I fear the evils of our Islamo-facist enemies less than I fear what fools like Ross may make both inevitable and necessary”
“People like Ross are delaying the American quest for victory”
“secular-left apologist of suicide bombing”
“completely disassociated”
“you are not a serious person”

And here are my uber-insults:

“sanctimonious ass”
“frothing extremists”
“two-tone mental stance”
“As for my conjuration of smart remarks: Someone has to, and you’re not holding up your end.”
“save your “9/11 means nothing” bullshit for a little rally of like-minded jackboot-steppers”
“Make sure nobody gives Telenko the controls for the spaceship”

fuck it, I don’t come out looking too good in the insult count.  I believe I have hurled more than I have received, and that is piss-poor news for my purported civility. 

I feel bad about the “frothing extremist” thing.  That was totally unnecessary.  Sorry Mary!  Heat of the moment, Lord of the Flies, and all that.


Posted by Ross on 01/30/04 at 05:21 AM
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The Rodney King Card

Lead Pipe Cruelty

As Johno has noted, Ross is in a pissing match with the good people over at Winds of Change.  I wish there was some way to say, “Why can’t we all just get along?” without sounding like a complete sap.  Ross, Trent, and others have moved past the ability (at least in this exchange) to see the valid points in the other’s comments.  While I definitely trend toward Trent, Tom, Joe and the others in my assessment of the situation with the War on Terror (as my previous post should make obvious) I haven’t felt the need to call Ross a fool, or an idiotarian.  Yet.

Trent and the others are a little too eager to cast Ross and others into the outer darkness because of his liberal views, rather than argue.  Ross is of course a little too eager to turn up the invective as well.  Reasoned debate is a good thing; but it’s a lot easier to get in person, with a beer in hand.  (We’ve seen that before right here on this very blog, haven’t we?)


Posted by Buckethead on 01/30/04 at 12:47 AM
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