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Monday, February 12, 2007

All in the family, Iran, Guantanamo, Big story in South Florida, a new Lincoln photo, and Valentines

This week must be 'pick on Bush/Cheney family members' week, but these stories seem to fit in with the private contractor links of a couple days ago. More random links from today's browsing below.

Let's see. First we have Bush's uncle, William H.T. Bush, who is under investigation by the SEC for stock option violations, in a military contracting company which he served on the board and profited from. Bush has longstanding ties to other members of the administration besides his nephew, too, according to Talking Points Memo.

And then there's Dick Cheney’s Dangerous Son-In-Law: Washington Monthly says William Perry, general counsel of the OMB and later for the Dept of Homeland Security, blocked legislation that would have helped protect chemical sites in the U.S. from terrorist attack.

A couple sensible comments on the Iran 'revelations', from Knox View's R. Neal, and Dave Winer. From Winer:
1. If you don't want Americans blown up by Iranian weapons, get them out of Iraq.
2. It's a big surprise? We're calling them names, threatening them, moving our aircraft carriers into their ports, and we're supposed to be shocked that they're helping people who are fighting with us in Iraq? I would be surprised if it were otherwise, if they weren't helping them.

And more.

From Neal:
See, we invaded Iraq because they had active chemical and biological weapons programs and stockpiles, and an advanced nuclear weapons program.
But now, they don't even have a machinist skilled enough to make roadside pipe bombs, so they must be getting them from Iran.


In the March Vanity Fair, Marie Brenner on the JAG lawyer and legal scholar suing the U.S. Government: Taking on Guantánamo.

The Broward-Palm Beach New Times reports on the chaos surrounding the story of Anna Nicole Smith: Hollywood (Florida) Confidential. Interesting that the ad above the story is for a local exhibit on Marilyn Monroe.

Here's something amazing: someone bought an old dauguerrotype of a young Illinois man, and realized the man in the photo looked like Abraham Lincoln. He had it analyzed by experts: It seems to be Lincoln. It's a revealing new image we've never seen before.

Lastly, here are some greeting cards for those of us who don't make a big deal of Valentine's day (or most other made-up commercialized holidays): Be my anti-Valentine. These are all pretty good: my favorite might be, "Nothing says I love you like saturated fat and slutty lingerie".
For more on not celebrating Valentine's, some great links from Al Tompkins at Poynter, including why you shouldn't buy roses or other flowers imported from Latin America(unless you like banned pesticides, fungicides and support unsafe working conditions for underpaid workers). Of course, they all are this time of year, so unless you know a florist who only sells locally grown greenhouse flowers, switch to the healthy dark chocolate instead. Oh, wait: chocolate is grown and processed by slave labor in Africa. There's always diamonds...uh, no. Support a local jewelry maker. Bake a nice loaf of whole grain bread.

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