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Wednesday, May 05, 2004 The draft The chief of the U.S. Selective Service System has proposed registering women for the military draft and requiring that young Americans regularly inform the government about whether they have training in niche specialties needed in the armed services. The proposal, which the agency's acting director Lewis Brodsky presented to senior Pentagon officials just before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, also seeks to extend the age of draft registration to 34, up from 25. The issue of a renewed draft has gained attention because of concern that U.S. military forces are stretched thin because of worldwide commitments. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist strikes, U.S. forces have fought and won two wars, have established a major military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq and are now taking on peacekeeping duties in Haiti. The plan, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, highlights the extent to which agency officials have planned for an expanded military draft in case the administration and Congress authorize one in the future. "In line with today's needs, the Selective Service System's structure, programs and activities should be re-engineered toward maintaining a national inventory of American men and, for the first time, women, ages 18 through 34, with an added focus on identifying individuals with critical skills," the agency said in a Feb. 11, 2003, proposal presented to Pentagon officials. Women and children first? (via Tom.) posted by chris at 12:32 PM   It's just like an ATM, but without the reciept! As alarm mounts over the integrity of the ATM-like voting machines 50 million Americans will use in the November election, a new U.S. federal agency has begun scrutinizing how to safeguard electronic polling from fraud, hackers and faulty software. But the tiny U.S. Election Assistance Commission says it is so woefully underfunded that it can't be expected to forestall widespread voting machine problems, which would cast doubt on the election's integrity. The commission — which on Wednesday conducts the first federal hearing on the security and reliability of electronic voting — laments its predicament in a new report. It's first federal hearing?!?? Shouldn't the commission have started this a bit earlier, like say, four years ago?? With only $1.2-million of its $10-million budget appropriated, the commission has so far been able to hire seven full-time staffers, borrowing some part-timers from other federal agencies. The lack of funding has forced the EAC to abandon or delay much of its intended mission. For example, it won't be able to develop a national system for testing voting machines, according to the report. So like every other Bush initiative, this one's just a joke. Just something the sounds good to appease the people, but, then when it's not funded by the administration, does nothing to actually change things for the better. Or, I guess in Bush's eyes, a broken electoral process is for the better. It worked in his favor last time. posted by chris at 12:25 PM   Willful illiteracy? From The Center for American Progress: The NYT writes, "the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House had difficulty explaining why they had not acted earlier and more aggressively to deal with the abuse." One reason: No one wants to admit to having read the report. According to the LA Times, the White House has known about the investigation since December. The report was completed in February. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers called Dan Rather at CBS three weeks before the story ran and asked the network to hold it; this past Sunday, questioned on Face the Nation, Myers admitted he still hadn't read the report himself. Two days after Myers's admission, President Bush still hadn't read the report and his press secretary attempted to shield him, claiming the president "only become aware of the photographs and the Pentagon's main internal report about the incidents from news reports last week." And Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, commenting on the report for the first time yesterday, said while he'd seen a summary and recommendations from the investigation, he hadn't read the full report. The report is 53 pages. It is available online. What are they waiting for? Wait a second, I thought President Bush didn't even read the newspaper . . . all of a sudden, that's where he's getting his information?? posted by chris at 12:18 PM   ------------------ Sunday, May 02, 2004 Super Size Me A new documentary will be released in select cities on Friday, May 7 called Super Size Me. Intrigued by recent lawsuits against the fast food industry, the filmmaker decides to see just how bad fast food is for you by eating 3 meals a day for 30 days from McDonald's. He has three rules: 1. He can only eat what McDonald's offers. 2. If the cashier asks him to supersize his meal, he has to do it. 3. He has to eat everything on the menu at least once. He documented his crusade, as well as the effect of his new diet on his (formerly) good health. The result is a hilarious (and sometimes disgusting) examination of our fast food culture, the rising rates of obesity in America, the national school lunch program and numerous other issues. I highly recommend it. For more information about the film, click here. To see if it's playing at a theatre near you, check here. posted by chris at 9:19 PM   The tip of the iceberg Chilling new evidence of the torture and sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American soldiers emerged last night in a secret report accusing the US army leadership of failings at the highest levels. Detainees were subjected to 'sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses', according to a military investigation suggesting that last week's photographs of US soldiers humiliating their naked captives may only have been the tip of the iceberg. It comes amid reports that six British soldiers may shortly be arrested over claims that they too mistreated detainees. Soldiers from the Queen's Lancashire Regiment are understood to have been questioned in Cyprus after the publication yesterday of shocking photographs purporting to show a prisoner being beaten, kicked and urinated on while in the regiment's custody. -clip- If true, the allegations could mean serious criminal consequences for Britain, which, unlike the United States, has signed up to the new International Criminal Court. It has the power to launch war crimes charges of its own against authorities including the commander-in-chief - the Prime Minister - if necessary. It's a good thing the US refused to ratify the International Criminal Court, cause we wouldn't want these guys to be held responsible for their actions or anything. posted by chris at 11:50 AM   ------------------

    

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