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June 22, 2003

Enemies
: Dan Gillmor has spent too much time out of the country going to weblog conferences. He gets back on our shores and goes batty over a Jimmy Breslin column decrying the Justice Department over the arrest and guilty plea of Lyman Faris.
Breslin does his usual hysterical rant.
Gillmor threatens to leave America and journalism:

The travesty is, first, that our government now operates a secret criminal justice system, because Congress doesn't care enough about liberty to stop a power-mad Bush administration from tearing up the Constitution.
The second travesty, as Breslin trenchantly observes, is the spinelessness of my chosen profession. I am ashamed to be a journalist when I realize how far down the road we have gone toward utter deference to power.
Why are journalists not screaming bloody murder about this case? Sloth no longer suffices to explain our negligence?
I cringe for my profession. I fear for America.

Easy, boy.
This is what Time magazine says about Faris, without all the emotion:

Iyman Faris, 34, a naturalized U.S. citizen from Kashmir, had pleaded guilty at the beginning of May to providing material support to al-Qaeda. Not only had he scoped out the Brooklyn Bridge as part of a plot to destroy the New York City landmark, but he had also tried to obtain equipment to help derail a train near the nation's capital. The feds had done more than nab a truck driver from Columbus, Ohio, who was leading what Ashcroft called "a secret double life," a man determined to wreak havoc right here in the U.S. They had turned one of Osama bin Laden's loyal foot soldiers into another breed entirely: double agent for the U.S.

Now I think John Ashcroft is a dangerous fanatic but that's not the issue here.
The Justice Department did good work. They nabbed an al-Qaeda operative who was trying to launch more terrorist attacks; they stopped him from attacking; and they used him to gain more sorely needed terrorist intelligence. This will save lives.
That's what you do in a war. That's what you do with criminals. The guy pleaded guilty. He sang like a mafia rat because they had the goods on him. He made a deal. And we got the good end of that deal, as well we should.
Twice last week, I talked with people from the West Coast, who seemed to be downplaying the ongoing impact of terrorism on America.
Well, here on the East Coast, we still take terrorism very seriously. Look at that picture below, where the World Trade Center used to be. Now tell me it was a bad thing that we got a confederate of the people who did that, a man who planned to do more of the same, a man who could lead us to yet more of the slime.
I don't think I'll leave America, or journalism.
crack do ACDS 8

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Still standing
: Greg Allen went down to the World Trade Center site to gather facts for his memorial proposal and though he thought everything had been demolished, he found a staircase still standing. In my travels down there, I've been wondering whether some underground superstructure was left over from the original (see the picture). Anybody know?
crack do ACDS 8

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Better than Japanese T-shirts
: BWG gives us actual Chinese movie subtitles, including:

• A normal person wouldn't steal pituitaries.
• Baldly!
• Beat him out of recognizable shape!
• Beware! Your bones are going to be disconnected.
• Damn, I'll burn you into a bbq chicken!
• Don't make me bare the consequence.

crack do ACDS 8

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The damage a headline can do
: Reuters ran a story about Iranian weblogs under the headline, "Iran Internet Use at Risk from Conservatives."
CNN picked up the story but added its own sensationalistic headline: "Prostitute diary tops Iran Web hit."
Lady Sun warns:

Such provocative headlines
are the best excuse for tougher regulations on the Internet freedom of
speech, which is currently being discussed in the Iranian parliament and
judiciary. Ironically this comes at a time when personal websites, and
weblogs have become the most valid news source from the Iranian nations
continuing struggle towards democracy.

She sends us to a petition to protest.crack do ACDS 8

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Lady of Steel
: The Jerusalem Post is, of course, offended at a Palestinian paper's profile of Condi Rice, focusing on her race.
I, however, see grudging respect and fear and that's a good thing:

In an article entitled "Beware of the Lady of Steel," prominent Palestinian columnist Hasan al-Batal describes Rice as a "black widow" and a "single black lady." Earlier this year, Al-Ayyam launched a similar attack on Rice, dubbing her a "black raven." Then, she was targeted for accusing the PA of supporting terrorism....
"She [Rice] is as pretty as supermodel Naomi Campbell and much more intelligent than the iron woman Margaret Thatcher," said Batal, whose columns appear on a regular basis in Al-Ayyam....
The article concludes by warning Palestinians to be wary of the "single black woman," adding: "We don't want to say the black widow out of respect for her femininity, her brightness, and her determination, which makes her the lady of steel."

Yup. Don't F with Condi.crack do ACDS 8

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Posting
: Been working hard trying to finish my proposal for the World Trade Center memorial.
Kinda sad watching me. I can't draw. I'm clumsy. I'm sticking my tongue out as I try to sketch things and just paste them on straight.
Will finish and then open the wine and then be back.crack do ACDS 8

: Technology is wonderful, even if it's not on a screen. I printed out the words onto Avery 8.5x11 clear label sheets and then laid those down on the presentation board. It's almost thrilling to see the words lay themselves onto the paper and bond. Damn, I wish I were an artist. crack do ACDS 8

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