Revolutionary Moderation

Weekend schedule



So much to do here at RevMod. There's a few new links around the internet pointing right here, and I need to add them to the reciprocal link list. And I have to update my non-reciprocated link list to the left, as well --- I find myself rarely going to a couple of them, and I have a couple of new regular favourites.



Speaking of which, have I mentioned The Memory Hole? Here, for example, is what freedom and liberty looks like in Iraq. Give the photo a soundtrack in your head: "Bad boyz bad boyz, what'cha gonna do?"



I was actually thinking about beginning the work of creating an attractive new template for RevMod, to go along with an attractive new domain name. Don't worry - I'll leave a forwarding address.



And I was certainly going to blog about CIA director George Tenet taking one for the team. Sorta. I mean, check Tenet's wording: "...agency officials in the end concurred that the text in the speech was factually correct that the British government report said that Iraq sought uranium from Africa. This should not have been the test for clearing a presidential address." And yet, all of the Iraq allegations fell into the same category - factually correct but inferring much darker information that happened not to be true. Saddam has links with terrorists (but not al Quada). Iraq has weapons of mass destruction programs. &c, and so on.



Tenet's admission needs to be seen alongside the Wesley Clark revelation from last week. Tenet didn't say that the CIA made these false allegations in the first place. Tenet only acknowledged that his agency should have more forcefully said "this Niger stuff is all bullshit." Meanwhile, on the afternoon of September 11, 2001, Wesley Clark was receiving instructions to implicate Iraq in the attacks --- without any evidence to suggest it. Clark wouldn't do it, so he looks pretty damn good today. And I admire George Tenet's willingness to accept he's been enabling the US administration's web of lies - that's the first step. But someone decided to include that allegation in the first place. Someone who was writing the State of the Union said, "Can we mention the aluminium tubes? No? How about that he bought, I dunno, uranium? No? How about we say he tried? No? Can we say that the British have, at some time in the past, believed Iraq was trying to buy uranium? Hey, that's true! Bingo!



I admire Tenet, I have to say again, for recognizing his role in this absurd dance last winter. But I don't think the person who called Wesley Clark and said "link today's events to Iraq", who said "find every scrap of evidence that suggests Iraq is dangerous and put it in the speech, no matter how much evidence to the contrary might exist", the person who told intelligence agencies to interpret every satellite photo in the worst possible light (this truck might be a mobile lab, those silos might contain missiles) --- that person, or people, still have a great deal to answer for, and George Tenet did not let him, her, or them off the hook.



Huh. I guess I just did blog that. Damn.



Anyway, I was going to do all of that, but you know, two things are fighting for my time. First of all, it's a glorious morning, and I want to go enjoy some of it. Second, I'm now the proud owner of four seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD. This, despite having watched my first full episode of Buffy on Wednesday. I blame the CBC.



So, don't expect to hear a lot more from me this weekend. Unless I'm planning to meet you on the links.



(Golf, not URLs. If I was just speaking to you with that correction, shut off your computer and go get some sun.)